


The Original Nightmare

by DTsimison



Series: The Nightmare [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29744694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DTsimison/pseuds/DTsimison
Summary: After suffering the loss of friends and the success of survival, the survivors of the Umbrella Training Facility continue onward. Daniel takes additional steps to do everything he can to reduce the body count, but his gaming knowledge has not translated into omniscience. Jessica can ignore the body count but not her own limitations. All the while, STARS Alpha Team draws closer to its fateful journey to the Spencer Mansion.
Series: The Nightmare [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2186181





	1. Fetching the Cavalry

Tim yawned as he stepped over the thousandth stick. He took a moment to push his rectangular glasses back up on his sweating nose before he trudged on. His feet ached with each step and the assault rifle, although it provided a much needed source of protection and confidence, became heavy after the first hour of walking. _And we're on hour four, I think._ He glanced over his shoulder to see how the others were holding up. 

Katelyn, his girlfriend, trotted a step behind him. Her blue jacket was tied around her waist, revealing her pink blouse. She smiled at him, her brown freckles dancing on her face, but he knew she was doing the worst out of their group. Before the...event happened, he and she were about to go on a date. Alabama in October may not be as bad compared to some places, but Katelyn was easily chilled and picked a warm outfit for that day. Which backfired when they teleported here, where it was July. Even though the Sun wasn't over the horizon yet, the heat took its toll on them. Tim was glad he toughed out the Alabama weather with his Auburn Tigers jersey and black jeans, a much lighter and cooler outfit. Unfortunately, he'd been worried about Katelyn ever since Kevin warned that dehydration could set in if they didn't get water soon.

The former pilot marched next to Katelyn. While Katelyn kept her attention on where she walked, Kevin constantly scanned the dark woods. With his short brown hair, Kevin looked far more official than the rest of them as he traveled in his pilot's uniform, although his helmet was burning somewhere in the training facility rubble. The way his amber eyes squinted toward the distance, Tim knew Kevin would prefer to have a flashlight along with his handgun. However since Tim had the lead, Kevin wasn't going to force the teen to return the borrowed item. Even if he did have it, Kevin couldn't use both. His left arm, which was glass-free, was still bandaged from elbow to wrist with three of his fingers in tiny splints. Tim couldn't help but remember how Kevin's arm used to look like, when Tim was left on guard duty back in the training facility. The three fingers had been black and blue and twisted at grotesque angles, with dark red, soaked bandages covering his arm. All things considered, it was a small price compared to how bad a train wreck could get. Tim shuddered and was glad that Kevin was doing much better.

Bringing up the rear was Tim's cousin: Bruce. Like Katelyn, the tallest of them had shed his blue jacket not long after they started their trek. To Tim's annoyance, Bruce wore an AU shirt with 'Roll Tide!' in big letters over the front. As poor as his taste in football teams was, Bruce fulfilled his duties as rearguard much more faithfully, checking behind them every few steps, handgun at the ready in case anything did attack them. Tim wondered how much Bruce knew about Resident Evil. Unlike Tim and Katelyn, who'd only seen a couple of the movies, Tim knew Bruce played one of the games, though he wasn't sure which one. _I should ask him about that when I get a chance._

The football player tripped on a rock and stumbled forward. He recovered and kept the flashlight shining ahead of him.

"Keep your head faced forward. We're almost there," Kevin whispered encouragingly.

"How close do you think we are?" Tim asked.

"Less than an hour now," the pilot guessed, "We're making good time."

"Can't wait until we're out of here," Bruce mumbled as he stared at the trees. In the moonlight, the shadows falling off them formed into grasping claws and devious nets. Worse than the shadow images were the trees themselves. All it took was one tree to hide one z-dog, zombie, or some other monstrosity. Being surrounded by a legion of them did **not** improve Bruce's sense of security. He hopped over one outstretched root with a quiet glare.

"I second that," Tim declared as he shined the flashlight at a bush. A rabbit scurried out of it, which probably meant that it was safe, seeing as how nothing was eating the rabbit. Tim remembered how their little adventure started off, with Daniel being attacked by a hiker zombie, followed shortly by a zombie dog pack coming after them. Tim scanned the nearby trees, checking to see which ones were easiest to climb. That's what had saved them from the pack, hiding from them and one unlucky deer who had led the pack off before they could smell the human prey above them. _This time, we'll fight back,_ Tim thought as he patted his M16.

Unlike their first trek through the forest, this one was danger-free...so far. No sign of zombies, z-dogs, or anything else which had plagued Daniel, Jessica, and the others. The worst moment was when they had to cross a wide meadow. With no trees to climb and out in the open, the meadow with its flowers and low grass had been a terrifying place. Tim's first thought was to simply go around it. Kevin had shot down that idea, pointing out that unless they found the opposite spot, they'd risk getting lost. After a long moment of observation, all four of them had sprinted across the clearing. The seconds had felt like hours as Tim's ears waited to hear a growl, a moan, any noise that told them they were prey and the predator had come.

But no. They reached the other side with gasping breaths, sore sides, but with nothing chasing their tails. _For now on, I'm always carrying a compass,_ Tim swore. He looked up out of the tree line and saw something that promised to bring sweet relief to all of them. The black sky receded as a gray and blue one advanced. _It's almost dawn, thank God._

Tim couldn't wait for the towering skyscrapers of Raccoon City to break through the tree line into sight. He wanted to finally see something familiar, something denied to him at the Umbrella training facility. When Daniel first mentioned the place, for half a second, Tim wondered if it was like the mansion or the Hive in the first Resident Evil film. It wasn't. The monsters were familiar, but everything else wasn't. There was no Rebecca, Billy, Kevin, or Edward in the movies. No giant leeches either.

 _I wonder if there is an Alice in the game series. I should ask Daniel that next time I see him._ Tim's thoughts turned to his friend and the others who weren't with them. Daniel, Jessica, Rebecca, and Enrico were on their way to the Umbrella main labs. No doubt they would have to go through more of Umbrella's unleashed insanity before they'd make it safely back to the city. Tim wasn't too worried about it though. Daniel, unlike everyone else, was intimately familiar with the video games and had gotten most of them through the night, with the exceptions of his fellow soldiers, ironically enough. Jessica would probably survive too, Tim guessed. _She's crazy...but she seems to be just the right kind of crazy for this sort of thing._ Enrico appeared to be a tough and level-headed officer, and Tim doubted any monster could take him down now that the leader of STARS Bravo team had a grenade launcher. _And Rebecca, so long as she's with Jessica or Daniel, I'm sure she'll be fine._

Tim patted his pocket as his thoughts reminded him of his mission. _It's simple enough. Get to the city, get to STARS, give them the coordinates to the Umbrella Labs, they'll go, give Daniel and the others back-up, we stay, get Kevin to the hospital and hold tight until they come back. Don't worry, Daniel. I won't let you down._ The football player took another step though a thick line of greenery and was surprised when his foot landed on flat terrain. He paused and shined his flashlight around him.

A simple dirt path cut through the woods as it curved and bended around trees. "Finally. A sign of civilization," Tim declared as he stepped into the path's center. He tried to get an idea of how far it went, but thanks to how it wound, he couldn't see much farther than a half dozen yards. 

"This is a good sign," Kevin echoed. "This is the trail that connects Raccoon City to nearby Marble City. If we go right, we'll back in Raccoon in no time."

Katelyn threw a quizzical glance at the pilot. Tim voiced her question. "Marble City? Is that really the other town's name?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Whoever came up with these names aren't very imaginative," Tim stated as he restarted, traveling on the new route. "I bet half the buildings look like ancient Greek stuff."

"Actually, the name Marble isn't about the rock, but it comes from the nearby Marble River. It's the largest river in the region," Kevin explained as he glanced outward.

"Got it," the high school student replied, his interest waning as they marched on. At first, Tim thought it was a boon that they found the nature trail. Now, they didn't have to worry about tripping over rocks or falling into holes. However, the longer they walked, the more exposed Tim felt. _It's pretty easy to notice us. I mean, we weren't very stealthy breaking branches, but every time we take a step here, we make a crunch._ His mind unwilling focused on the sound as the four of them walked. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. After moments, Tim refused to believe anything nearby **couldn't** hear the cacophony they made. _Argh! Just, chill man. It's gonna be alright. Just walk down this trail, get to the City, and we're safe. ....maybe if we ran down the path, it'd be better. I mean, with all of the racket we're making, how can we possibly hear anything coming at us?_ Tim took a deep breath as he tried to expel his fear. _Stop it. Gotta be strong. For Katelyn._ He glanced behind him and shot a confident grin at his girlfriend. The brown-eyed girl returned a reassuring smile before reaching forward and grabbing his wrist, since his hands were occupied. The fear retreated from the affection stoking his heart. _We'll be fine._

"What's that?" Bruce asked from behind. The group stopped and Tim immediately noticed what Bruce referred to, and silently berated himself for not catching it sooner. Ahead of them on the left side of the path, the forest fought against man's past industry as it tried to overwhelm a large structure. The group moved forward until they stood at the entrance of a tall, black-iron fence surrounding the structure. What was behind the fence pulled them to a halt.

"It's a hospital," Katelyn whispered as her surprised eyes lingered over the building.

"What's left of one," Bruce added as he stared uneasily at the structure.

Tim felt as unnerved as he scanned the building with the flashlight. Nature had yet to break its walls, but time and storms had left broken windows, leaving jagged holes that stared at Tim. Fingers of old paint clutched and cracked as it peeled off the walls. Vines slithered over it, while plants and grass crowded at its foundations. Tim jerked the flashlight toward one broken window, but the shape he thought he saw wasn't there. _Please tell me I'm just seeing things_. "What's a hospital doing all the way out here?"

Kevin stared at it, focusing on the rusted front door. "It was supposed to be for injured hikers and for people living on the edge of the city. There's an actual helipad on top so rescue teams could deploy rapidly, but there was an accident years ago, and they closed it all down."

Tim shifted his gaze to the pilot. "What kind of accident?"

The psuedo-STARS member shrugged. "Don't remember. There's all kinds of rumors flying around, including ghost stories. It's become Raccoon City's resident haunted site. Either way, it's not our problem. Keep moving."

Tim happily complied.

"Does that mean we're close?" Bruce prompted as he finished his last look at the place.

"Very close," Kevin answered, "There's a suspension bridge not too far from here. Beyond that, it's a twenty-minute walk until we reach the city limits. On the other side of the bridge, the path converges with the other nature trails. Just remember the general direction to go, and we should be fine." He looked up. The darkness had relinquished the sky and there was enough light that the flashlight was dimming in comparison. "There's only one other landmark after the bridge, but we might not see it if dawn doesn't get here soon. Off the main path is a log cabin belonging to an old doctor. If you see that, that means you're on the right trail."

"Is he still there?" Katelyn inquired.

Kevin nodded. "He's a stubborn old man. He was supposed to leave the forest once the police department closed the forest to civilians, but he refuses to budge."

Katelyn frowned worriedly. "Why haven't they simply escorted him out? It's very dangerous out here."

"We've sent a few officers to do just that," Kevin affirmed. "But the old coot knows this forest better than our men. Each time we've sent someone out, he always finds out we're coming and leaves the cabin. We've tried to search the forest, but that was fruitless. Tried to wait him out once, but he stayed out there for two whole days before Chief Irons finally called us back in. Chief said it was a waste of manpower and resources to try to get just one old man out."

"I hope he's alright," Katelyn wished as they rounded another turn. "Maybe we should check the cabin on our way back? What are the chances of him being awake at this hour?"

"We have our orders," Kevin pointedly reminded her as he pushed a rogue tree branch away from his face.

"What's the harm?" Tim added while he kept his eyes forward. "We're already on our way out. There's no way he'd know we're coming from inside the forest. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone."

Kevin studied the group hesitantly. In particular, he focused on Bruce. "If he tries to resist and forces us to use force, you realize you'll have to be the one to carry him out?" The pilot glared at his broken fingers for a moment before he looked back at Bruce. "I'm injured, Katelyn won't be strong enough to offer much support, and Tim has to keep an eye out since he's on point."

Bruce considered his answer. Katelyn aimed a hopeful look at him, while Tim turned around to walk backwards. The smaller cousin alternated between Bruce and Katelyn, his thoughts plain on his face. _Really, Tim? You'd do anything to make her happy, wouldn't you? I don't like it. I just want to get out of here and just go home. We've already lost two people who hopped dimensions with us. Do you really want to press our luck out here?_ But under the combined weight of the three stares, Bruce surrendered. "Fine."

Katelyn gifted him with a grateful smile, while Tim mouthed _'I owe you one'._ Bruce agreed. Kevin looked disappointed, but returned to his overwatch. "Let's be quick then."

Tim released a triumphant shout after the next turn. "There it is!" He announced as he pointed ahead of them. Crossing a small gorge, a sturdy wooden bridge crossed the gap and beckoned them. The glasses-wearing high-schooler stopped and turned to the others. "We're almost there!"

"RARGH!"

Ice overwhelmed Tim's heart. The surprise on his companions' face quickly morphed into outright horror in the seconds following the roar. The roar that came from directly behind him. The roar that faded even as the rumble of thunderous footsteps replaced it. Footsteps that ran toward **him.** Tim spun around, his fingers desperately fiddling with the rifle's safety.

He saw a shape. Humanoid. He couldn't make out details because after a solitary second, something else clenched his attention. The figure rampaging towards him held it. The wooden handle in the figure's hand extended out before fitting neatly into an iron head. An iron head in the shape of a wide and very sharp 'D'. Tim screamed as the axe sliced downward.

And two halves of a pair of glasses fell at his feet.


	2. Escaping the Ambush

Bruce remembered the first time he saw Daniel and Jessica fight two zombies. It had been a ridiculous battle. Daniel had been so intense and nervous that he accidentally threw his handgun out of his sweaty hands. Despite the mishap, they successfully killed the ex-soldiers who had threatened to devour them. Bruce never said anything, but his opinion of Daniel fell a few notches after that stunt. Jessica had killed her zombie much more efficiently, and Daniel, who was the true Resident Evil fan of the group and one of their soldiers, had provided an embarrassing example. _This was the guy who was supposed to get them through the night alive?_ Bruce had thought.

Then the z-dog attack at the train happened. The same attack which left Bart dead with a torn throat as their first casualty. Bruce had been unarmed and reduced to running around the car to escape death at the hands of both the zombies and the z-dogs. The wild panic fear had thrown him in was powerful and all-consuming. After the incident, Bruce swore to himself he'd never lose his nerve like that so long as he had a gun to fight back with.

And here he was.

Standing in the middle of Raccoon Forest. Holding a loaded Beratta. All he could do was stare at the spot where his cousin's body had collapsed. _It...just doesn't **feel** real._ _I...I need to move._ _Do...something._ His body disagreed. His arms wouldn't rise, his legs took no steps, and his eyes were locked on the murderer before him. The axe-wielding psychopath wore no shirt, white chest hair covering his upper torso. His face was obscured by a close-fitting, black hood that covered his entire head and his neck. His back was permanently bent, another indicator of his advanced age. As the murderer bent down to grab his axe, he stepped out of the shadow of a tree, and provided the group with a strange sight. Above the waistline of his belted brown pants, a strange glowing-green growth covered half his stomach.

While Bruce could only look, Katelyn suffered no such petrifaction as she wailed and screamed an agonizing chorus as she watched the axe man pull his weapon out of Tim's corpse. Her fingers clutched at her face as she shook her head, as though she could shake the nightmare away.

Acting in a far cry from his train performance, Kevin roared, "Bastard!" He snapped his arm up as he fired off two quick rounds into the axe man's chest. Bruce watched as the two bullets penetrated through the man's bare chest. Blood spitted out of the new wounds for a moment....then nothing. The masked man did not die, he did not scream in pain, he didn't even acknowledge his injuries.

 _Is he...a ganado?_ Bruce wondered helplessly as the axe man turned toward them. Undeterred, Kevin fired again and again into the unknown creature. _How did they handle this?_ Bruce thought back to his friends who had fought on the front line at the training facility, his thoughts focusing on Jessica and her ever-present crazed grin as she fought monsters, enjoying every fight as though it were all a game. _Maybe that's her secret. She just thinks of it as a game._ The murderer lifted his axe again, the motion oddly slow and rickety.

Bruce mixed imagination and memory as he conjured a mental PS2 controller. He loaded his latest Resident Evil 4 save file and watched the screen as Leon and the Spanish castle materialize. _Hold R1._ Bruce's arms broke through the spell of terror as he took aim at the approaching enemy. _Press_ _X_. The handgun recoiled as it shot lead. _X, X, X, X._ Small spurts of blood punctuated every bullet tearing into the masked killer.

It wasn't enough.

The axe man roared as he charged toward the pair, his old body temporarily leaving its rot behind. Bruce nearly dropped the gun as he bolted toward the side, only stopping when he realized the axe man wasn't changing course, and he was safe.

Kevin wasn't. 

Bravo Team's pilot backpedaled as he fired again and again into the rampaging killer. When the distance between them numbered a solitary foot, the axe came down. Kevin screamed as metal edge bit into his chest. For one horrified second, Bruce thought it was just him and Katelyn left, but Kevin stumbled back and yelled. "RUN!"

As the axe murderer creaked back up, Kevin raced around him. He dropped his gun as he reached out and grabbed Katelyn's hand, pulling the crying girl with him. Bruce ran after them. The muffled sound of footsteps hitting dirt gave way to the loud, clacking noise of wood as they crossed the bridge. Resisting the urge to look back, the trio ran and ran. Kevin instinctively made turns as he led them away from danger. When Bruce's lungs were on fire and collapse near, metal and stone buildings broke through nature's domain. _Raccoon City._ Bruce ran with renewed vigor. Only now did he dare look back...and saw the non-existent pursuit which hounded them. "He's not coming after us!" he wheezed out.

Exhaustion won the battle against fear and slowed them to a walk, right as they made it to a police checkpoint guarding the forest entrance. One cop was already talking on his car's radio, while a black officer with the nameplate "Branagh" carefully took a few steps toward them, firearm out and in his hands. "Halt! You are trespassin...Kevin?"

The pilot released Katelyn's hand as he shakily strode toward the officer. "Marvin, I....STARS…" Kevin collapsed to the ground.

Marvin swore as he holstered his handgun and knelt down. "How long until the ambulance gets here?" he shouted to his partner.

"Five minutes!"

Officer Branagh rolled over the pilot, and Bruce received his first good look at Kevin's injury. The axe cut was shallow, which explained Kevin's escape. The slowing cascade of blood coloring his uniform spoke of a far more lethal problem. Kevin's face was drenched in sweat, and yet he was pale and shivering. His eyes stared at Marvin as his mouth silently tried to form words. "If we don't get him to the hospital ASAP, he's going to die of blood loss." The officer shoved his hands over the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. He looked up at Bruce. "Give me a hand!" Bruce pocketed his half-depleted gun before he joined the officer's first aid attempts. "Explain to me what happened, and who you are."

Bruce winced as his hands closed over the slick, sticky skin. He opened his mouth to speak when doubts assaulted him. _Wait, how do I know he's not with Umbrella? This whole town is supposed to be Umbrella's backyard, isn't it? Should I tell him anything?_ He glanced at Katelyn for help and quickly realized she was in no condition to do so. The brunette was sitting down, her arms wrapped around her legs as she quietly sobbed.

Beside him, Branagh's waiting stare became suspicious. "The forest is closed down to all civilians. What were you and her doing out there?"

"It wasn't just us," Bruce blurted out as he tried not to think about the former fourth member of their group.

"Explain."

Bruce hesitated as he felt reality reassert itself. _He's dead. My cousin. He's back there somewhere with that monster, dead._ "We...we were attacked. By. ...by an axe-wielding maniac. He killed my cousin." Bruce attempted to gather his thoughts to form a coherent story, but Tim was now a black hole in his mind. "He's dead."

The officer studied him, then Katelyn. A siren wailed in the distance, heralding the approaching ambulance. "Just stay calm and relax. You're safe now." He shouted to his partner to watch the forest.

 _Am I?_ Bruce nodded as he tried to keep the blood inside of Kevin. The pilot had stopped shivering a minute ago. A bad sign. When the ambulance shot into view, Bruce reluctantly asked, "We're staying with Kevin, right?"

Branagh frowned. "Are either of you injured?"

Bruce knew he wasn't. Besides the axe man and a few exceptions, the tall teen had stayed away from the fighting at the training facility, as had Katelyn and Tim. He checked Katelyn again and saw some blood drops across her pants. _Is that hers or Kevin's? Does it matter? Will we be better off at the hospital than anywhere else?_ All Bruce knew was that he needed to contact STARS. _And the best way, I think, is going to be by staying with Kevin._ "I think she is."

Mercifully, Branagh didn't check her as he focused on keeping Kevin's life inside of his body. The ambulance halted beside the cop car and two paramedics hopped out with a stretcher. "I'll send an officer to the hospital to get the details. Until then, you are to travel with the ambulance."

The two of them stepped back as the paramedics went to work. Officer Branagh helped Bruce and Katelyn into the ambulance as he shouted more orders to his partner. After grabbing something to clean his hands, the cop stepped back as the ambulance doors closed.

The paramedics were a whirlwind of activity as they bandaged Kevin's wound. Bruce tried to pay attention, but they spoke so quickly and used so many medical terms that it was pointless. One thing was clear. If Kevin didn't get a blood transfusion soon, he'd become the next casualty of this mess. Bruce wondered how he'd feel if Kevin died now, after just making it to the city. _It'd suck, but I don't really know him. Heck, I don't really know anyone besides Katelyn and...._

Bruce distracted himself by staring out of the ambulance's rear windows. Buildings, street lights, and bystanders zoomed behind them as the ambulance hurried to the hospital. _So, this is the Raccoon City. Leon's first and last job as a cop. The incident coming here is what's going to sink Umbrella._ Now, if only Bruce knew any of the details. He'd only played Resident Evil 4, and all they said about Raccoon City was that it was a disaster. _But how? I didn't play the other games, and I haven't seen any of the movies._ A quick check on Katelyn reinforced his impression she was in no condition to satisfy the gaping hole in his knowledge. The other high-schooler pressed herself into a corner and cried into her hands.

Bruce sighed and went back to studying the urban landscape. The entrance to the city park and a large building attached to a clock tower traveled by the windows as the ambulance slowed down. One of the paramedics broke away from Kevin's pale body as he checked on Katelyn, while the other checked on Bruce. "I'm fine," the tall teen told the thirty-something paramedic.

"Just need to check you to be sure. You three have been through a traumatic experience," the dark-haired man replied.

 _We used to be four,_ Bruce thought glumly.

A quick check satisfied the paramedic. He turned back to Kevin, saying in an optimistic voice, "You two stay in the waiting area, while they patch up your friend."

The moment the ambulance stopped, the paramedics charged out, carrying Kevin on the stretcher. They unlocked the wheels and hurried him inside. Bruce and Katelyn followed at a snail's pace. As they walked, Bruce got a good view of the place. The hospital wasn’t a very large building, looking like someone had taken a rectangle and bent it forty-five degrees toward the street, the bent line neatly cutting the building into halves. What it lacked in size, it made up for in height, towering over them at four stories. In the early morning light, the sunlight reflected off the upper windows, blinding Bruce for a moment when he looked at the top floor. He focused on the entrance where the paramedics were wheeling Kevin into. Two pillars built into the light-blue and white-striped building framed a pair of glass doors. Located helpfully above the clear doors was a red hospital cross, which was beneath the sign ‘Raccoon Hospital’. In case that wasn’t enough, two feet above the sigh, another larger version jutted out so you could see it down the street.

Bruce glanced at Katelyn to see if she recognized anything, but the despondent girl kept her gaze on the ground as she dutifully followed Bruce inside. What bothered her new caretaker was the way she shivered and how pale she was. _She must really be that broken up. Tim told me that they were close. I didn’t think they were **that** close though. _

His attention shifted back to the hospital as they stepped through the entrance. This early in the morning, it was no surprise the place was mostly empty. A reception office with four cubicles occupied most of the right wall. Bruce caught a glimpse of the paramedics hurrying around a corner that squeezed between the reception office and the back wall which had a TV showing the latest of Umbrella’s pain-killers. He took a step toward them when he remembered that they weren’t supposed to follow them in. A young woman with bags beneath her eyes looked at them from behind her glass cubicle. She pointed to the door on their left. “The waiting room is right through that door.”

Bruce nodded his thanks before following through with her directions. As he opened the door, he caught sight of a metal shutter contained in the ceiling in front of the door. _The waiting room needs a security gate? Well... I guess it’ll be helpful when the zombies come._ Their footsteps echoed on the marble tiles as Bruce led them to a nearby bench. In contrast to the utilitarian approach to the reception area, white stone statues sat elegantly in alcoves in the wall, while various samples of small trees and flowers breathed fresh life into the room. For all of the classic interior, it had the opposite impact on Bruce. The training facility's main hall, where Bruce and the others had waited, was decorated in the same manner. The back half of the room wasn't as bad with a circulation desk opposite of nurse’s station squeezed the walk area into a narrow path going deeper into the hospital. A doctor spoke with a nurse and glanced at them as they entered. Bruce paid them no mind as he sat down.

Once they were seated, a wave of helplessness washed over Bruce. _Well now what? Can’t check on Kevin, can’t call the others and figure out what they’re doing, and I can’t call home because my service plan doesn’t exist yet._ Back at the training facility, Bruce was more than happy to wait for Daniel and the others to clear a safe path. Now that he was here, safety was guaranteed...well, at least safety from monsters was guaranteed. _I need to do something but what?_

The decision ambushed him when Katelyn suddenly crashed onto the floor. He stared at her, his mind a clutter of thoughts as he struggled to understand what just happened. “Katelyn?” He knelt down next to her before he realized someone else was with them.

The doctor from earlier, a tall, brown-haired man with friendly eyes introduced himself as he took over. “Hello, I'm Doctor George Hamilton. What seems to be the problem?” he asked matter-of-factly as he provided a source of calm in Bruce's agitated state.

“I don’t know,” Bruce breathed out. The two of them gently rolled Katelyn onto her back. The brunette starred uncomprehendingly as her lungs labored for air.

The doctor studied her as he pulled out his stethoscope. "Nurse, please get a stretcher."

"Yes, Doctor Hamilton." The nurse behind the desk quickly hurried out of the room to get help, brushing past Bruce.

The teenager fidgeted as he waited for an explanation. He twitched when the doctor muttered, “She’s not sweating.” The doctor glanced up at him after a moment. “When was the last time she had something to drink?”

“Uhhh…”

Doctor Hamilton nodded. “As I feared. Your friend is suffering from heat stroke. We need to cool her down and get her some fluids. Quickly.”


	3. Meeting Jill

Jill Valentine stifled a yawn as she pulled into the hospital parking lot. Green, glowing digital lines formed 6:38 AM and stared at her from the vehicle's digital clock, which meant she'd been awake almost an hour now. After Bravo team deployed, Captain Wesker ordered Joseph to man the STARS radio for the graveyard shift and to alert Alpha team if anything went wrong, while the rest of the team was to rest and be ready in case of an emergency. Jill had woken a couple of hours earlier so she could relieve Joseph an hour ahead of his shift. Joseph had welcomed her into the office with tired cheer before her plans were derailed when Neil Carlsen arrived to deliver a report.

As Jill stepped out of the police car, she glanced over the building, wondering which room was Kevin's. Joseph's annoyance with Carsen's interruption had melted away when the news was delivered. Kevin, Bravo Team's pilot, was heavily wounded. Not just wounded, but he was on death's doorstep. All Carsen could explain was Kevin had arrived at the edge of town with two unknown teenagers and had collapsed due to a large cut in his chest. Worse, there was no sign of the rest of Bravo Team. Suffice to say, the few tidbits they had only provoked questions upon questions.

The confused thoughts whirling around Jill's mind were silenced after stepping into the hospital. Raymond, one of Raccoon's finest, was in the entry hall waiting for her. "Officer Valentine," the blond cop greeted her with a curt nod. A hospital staff member stood next to him but left before Jill could speak with him.

She returned the nod, focusing on her co-worker. "Officer Douglas, how are you?"

"I've been better." He pointed up. "The two you're looking for are upstairs on the third floor. Room 302."

Jill's confusion intensified, along with her fear. "I thought I was here for Kevin?" she inquired, her voice just above a whisper.

The taller cop slowly shook his head. "Not anymore. I just got the news. Kevin passed away two minutes ago. They weren't able to get him the blood transfusion in time."

Her lungs balked at the news, and Jill had to remind them to continue performing their function. Faces of Bravo team flashed by her: Enrico, Forest, Richard, Edward, Kenneth, and the new girl, Rebecca. All of them were now stranded in the middle of a forest with cannibalistic murderers. Her eyes flashed to the ceiling as she thought about Kevin's temporary companions. With a near-physical effort, she pulled her thoughts away from the hostile forest and back to the safety of the hospital. "What did the two teenagers tell you?"

"Nothing."

The Alpha team member shot the cop a distressed look. "Nothing?" _Are they dying too?_

Raymond shook his head. "A few minutes before you arrived, the female suffered from a heat stroke and was admitted as a patient. She's still unconscious, and the male refuses to speak with me. He said he'd only talk to someone from STARS."

As relieved as Jill was that her only two witnesses weren't in critical condition, this newest info only added to her perplexion. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. I ordered him to hand over his wallet, but he's not carrying any identification beyond an Alabama's Learner's Permit."

Jill quirked an eyebrow. "Alabama?"

"I can't make any sense of it either," Raymond admitted, "His name is Bruce Hammonds the Third, while the female is Katelyn Camp."

She took a moment to memorize the names, even as she felt the mystery growing stranger and stranger the more she learned. As much as she wanted to meet them, she had one last reluctant question. "What happened to Kevin?" she asked quietly.

Raymond sighed before he pulled out a small notebook. He flipped to the last page before he explained matter-of-factly. "What killed him was a large laceration into his chest. Had someone staunch the bleeding from the get-go, he might have survived. Unfortunately, he and the other two were seen running out of the forest, and the physical activity only accelerated his blood loss." He put away the notebook, while keeping a close and concerned eye on her.

Jill knew Kevin wasn't a medic, but as a law enforcement officer who had seen some fights, he should've known better than to be moving around with a serious wound. What kind of danger would've sent him into a dead sprint? "I see," she murmured.

"That's not all of it," he warned her. He hesitated before he continued. "Three of his left fingers were broken, and something caused numerous, shallow cuts along his left arm. Upon closer inspection, they found tiny bits of glass buried in the wounds."

Jill mulled over the input as she struggled to identify what could have caused it. "Any evidence he was attacked by someone with a broken bottle?" she half-guessed, disturbed by the possibilities.

Raymond shook his head. "Unconfirmed. Your guess is as good as mine. Those teens probably know, but you seem to be the only one who might get Bruce to open up."

"If all he wants is to talk to someone with STARS, then I should have no problem," Jill predicted optimistically, hiding her doubts behind a small, determined look. "Room 302, you said?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll be here when you're finished."

She said farewell to the officer before journeying up the hospital floors.

-

The chair was nothing more than two slabs of plastic held together by four wooden poles. Although he was only seventeen, Bruce's tall size meant the back-rest only reached his lower back. Sunlight warmed his back as he faced away from the window, his eyes focused on Dr. Hamilton as he checked Katelyn's vitals one more time. The brunette was now in a hospital gown as she rested in the bed with an IV hooked to her left arm. Bruce would like to think she was comfortable underneath the sheets, but the edges of her lips were twisted downward. Her closed eyes seemed ready to cry.

On the other hand, Hamilton operated with an upbeat, caring precision that warred with Katelyn's overt melancholy. George's lips twitched with a ready smile hidden just beneath the surface. His bagged eyes were bright with optimism as he scanned the machine hooked to his newest patient. Bruce wasn't sure if the doctor was naturally this buoyant, or if it was just for Bruce’s sake. The smile broke through as the older gentleman turned his gaze on Bruce after consulting his clipboard. "You have nothing to worry about. She's stable and will make a quick recovery before you know it."

"Thanks," Bruce muttered as he sank into his chair, the recent events weighing him down.

"My shift will be ending shortly, but I'll have someone keep an eye on you two in case anything else comes up," Doctor Hamilton said. Bruce nodded, thankful to have found such a helpful person in this ominous city.

With his services at an end, George headed to the door with a cheerful, "Good-bye" thrown over his shoulder. As the doctor reached the door, it opened for him as a fourth figure entered the room, a young woman with short brown hair and in a RPD uniform. Bruce nearly wrote her off as another cop to try to get him to talk when he noticed the STARS emblem on the uniform's shoulder. She studied Bruce and Katelyn as she closed the door behind her.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Hamilton asked as he paused before her.

The STARS member focused on the doctor. "My name is Jill Valentine. I'm an officer with the STARS task force and was told that my presence was requested here."

Bruce scrambled out of his chair, blurting out. "I did, I have a message from Captain Enrico!" Hamilton took a step to the side as Bruce hurried over to them. The words were about to spill out of his mouth when Bruce remembered where he was. "I need to talk to you alone, somewhere else."

Officer Valentine stared at him quizzically. "Is there a reason you can't tell me right here and now?"

As much as he wanted to believe that Doctor Hamilton wasn't one of the bad guys, Bruce had seen enough movies to know that just because someone was friendly didn't mean they weren't on the other side. Plus, while he didn't remember too much, he knew Umbrella practically owned the town. Who knew if this room was bugged? "It's only for STARS. Can we talk..." He went through a list of possible locations likely to be free from Umbrella before he realized how would he could even tell. "... on the roof?"

He wished Valentine would stop staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "I suppose that's fine," she eventually replied before turning to the doctor. "Can you give me the directions?"

"Of course, officer," the doctor answered; his efficacious manner strong. He gave them detailed directions before taking his leave.

Jill took the lead as the pair of them ascended to the top of the hospital. As they walked, Bruce thought about how this particular conversation was going to go. _I've got to make her believe me. So, how much should I tell her? Do I skip the zombies and the monsters and just tell her where to meet the others? Or should I tell her everything so that she knows what to expect?_ Bruce didn't get long to ponder his predicament as the two of them stepped out onto the flat rooftop. Immediately, winds shoved at him as they raced over the building. Despite the ferocity of last night's thunderstorm, the only evidence of its existence was a damp blanket covering the city that was under attack by an active sun shining in a clear sky. Bruce remembered being caught at the beginning of it, only a few minutes into it did they discover the train that took them to the training facility. He subconsciously took another look at the vast Raccoon forest, which bordered the city on three sides, marking the city as a peninsula in a sea of trees. _And it's filled with monsters which will end up here._

"Bruce Hammonds the Third."

Unlike some others, Bruce didn't mind being 'The Third'. He liked the title, but caught the signal and his attention focused back on Officer Valentine. As he looked at her, he wished he could have been relieved that she was the STARS officer to arrive. He didn't know the details, but he knew enough to know she was one of the good guys. But good or not, she didn't have any reasons to believe him. The confused frown on her face was a clear signal that this was a meeting she wasn't looking forward to either. "You said you had a message from Captain Enrico?" she reminded him.

Bruce vigorously nodded his head. "Yeah. He needs Alpha Team to meet him at a location in the forest. He's discovered an illegal biological weapons lab owned by Umbrella, and he needs help with the investigation."

An uncomfortable pause followed.

"That’s quite the claim,” Jill began, her face melting into professional neutrality. “Can you tell me what is Enrico's last name?" Jill finally asked.

With a small, noiseless mental pop, Bruce lost all hope of convincing her. "No, I can't." He struggled to come up with anything that might help him. Nothing was going as he wanted it to. He wasn't supposed to be the spokesman - that was supposed to be Kevin's or even Tim's job. Bruce was the quiet one at school; he didn't like standing out. "But I also met Rebecca and Edward," he blurted before throwing out a brief description of their appearances.

After he finished, Jill continued her questions, her voice carefully neutral. "Where are they?"

Bruce winced. "Rebecca was supposed to come back with us, but she decided to go after Enrico and help him. Edward...Edward's dead."

His answer caused her features to harden. "How?"

For better or for worse, he hadn't been there when Edward died. All he saw were Billy and Daniel carrying his body down into the basement. Nobody explained to him what killed Edward, and, at the time, he didn't really want to know either. That's when Bruce gave up and decided to start from when they found the train. He avoided how they got into the forest and could tell Jill noticed that missing piece too, but he continued on how they got from the train to the training facility. He thought he was making some progress when he explained how Kevin was hurt in the crash, and she unconsciously nodded in agreement with his explanation. Unfortunately, once he got to the part where he was left behind, he had precious little to tell her, and it was only when it was time to escape was he directly part of the action. He told her about the final battle with the giant, but didn't like the strange look she was giving him. He explained how the party had split up, Daniel, Enrico, Jessica, and Rebecca leaving the others to investigate the Umbrella labs, and the instructions Captain Enrico left behind along with a list of coordinates to the labs for Alpha team to follow. The encounter with the axe man brought her back toward her side as she nodded with the facts he presented to her. When he finished his recounting, he ended it with a plea. "Please, you have to help them. Even if you don't believe anything else, please believe me when I say they need help!"

Jill studied him for another moment, her face still clear of discernible emotion. "...can I have the coordinates you referenced?"

 _Yes!_ Bruce immediately shoved his hands into his pockets for the critical piece of paper. His hands found his skinny wallet, his useless cell phone, some clinking change... His eyes widen with horror when he remembered where that slip of paper was. "Tim had it. I'm so stupid! I should've grabbed it while I could." Even as he said the words, a shiver of fear rolled through him at the thought of looking through his dead cousin's pockets. His gaze shifted to the forest, his thoughts being pulled into darker, bloodier places.

Jill sighed before she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I think you had more important things on your mind."

He looked back at her with a glimmer of hope. "You believe me?"

The hesitation crossing her sympathetic face wasn't reassuring. "You're asking me to take a lot on faith, Bruce. Some of the things you've told me have some evidence, but a lot of it doesn't have anything backing it up beyond what you tell me. And, Bruce, it bothers me when you don't tell me how you and your friends ended up in a quarantined forest." She paused in open invitation.

Bruce stared guiltily at the city, watching a couple of crows fly over the park. The sounds of the city were now in full swing as Raccoon woke up to another day. _How can I possibly explain that!?_ He wished Daniel or Jessica was here. He only heard their cover story once when explaining it to Kevin back all the way at the beginning of last night. Bits and pieces of it lingered in the corners of his mind, but wouldn't it be worse to offer a broken explanation than none at all?

A moment passed before Jill pressed on. "I'm willing to believe that the others are in trouble. I'm even willing to believe that you had an encounter with the cannibal murderers STARS is investigating. If there's anything you can tell me about where STARS Bravo team and your friends have gone, it'd mean we'd get there faster."

As soured as his mood was by the loss of family, his eyes snapped toward the forest. "It was off to the right from the training facility when we were coming here. So, it's somewhere..." He frowned. "Did anybody notice an explosion last night?" When Jill shook her head, he tried to find a smoke cloud or a fire, some kind of indicator of where the training facility was before it exploded. The forest did not oblige, content to keep its secrets. "Well, we were coming this way," he said as he pointed in the general direction of travel. "It was to the right of that."

"Anything else?" she gently prodded as she analyzed the meager tidbit.

"Ummm, wait! The railroad tracks weren't far away from the crash site, so if you found the copter, that could help you find the training facility and the labs." He looked at her with dismal hope. "Right?"

Officer Valentine nodded. "Yes, if what you told me is true-"

"It is!" he insisted, his voice raising a couple octaves in desperation.

"Then that would help." She glanced at Raccoon Forest before she removed her hand from his shoulder. "If that's all you can tell me, then we should get going."

Bruce raised a worried eyebrow. "Go?"

"Yes, I need to contact the rest of Alpha team, and I need you to take you to the police station, in case you remember anything that might help us," she casually explained.

The brown-haired teen took one look down through the hospital and pictured men in dark suits with Umbrella's logo on their coats abducting Katelyn. His gaze darted towards to Jill. "I think I should stay here," he replied vehemently.

His negative response took the STARS by surprise. "You're not injured," she reminded him, her tone controlled and sympathetic. "You can be of greater help to your friends if you come with me."

He shook his head. "I know you don't believe me that Umbrella is behind all of this, but they are! If they found out that Katelyn came from one of their secret bases, they'd kill her or abduct her! I've got to stay and keep an eye on her." He saw the reluctance in her eyes and did the first thing that came to his mind. He dropped to his knees. "I'm begging you!"

Jill sighed as she studied him, weighing unseen options before she made her decision.


	4. Over the Hills and through the Woods

"C'mon, keep up! At this rate, we ain't gonna git there until next week."

Rebecca heaved an exhausted breath before she glared at her infuriating companion. The longer the two of them traveled together, the more things she found irritating about Jessica June. She was taller and bigger than the pint-sized Rebecca, which meant she had to move harder to keep up with Jessica's strides. The woodland they traveled through would drop pointed reminders about the size difference fallen: trees, large rocks, and other obstacles. While Jessica hopped or bounded over them, Rebecca had to take a few extra seconds climbing over them, like the current log she was sliding over. The newest member of STARS Bravo team landed on her feet before spinning around and jogged up to Jessica.

The larger teenager stood casually next to a tree, used to the short stops in their journey to the Umbrella labs. Jessica stared at the cop with an open face of frustration. Rebecca wanted to remind her that unlike a certain civilian running around in wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket, she was still wearing her STARS uniform, including her body armor. Not only did the heavy piece of clothing wear her down, it also constricted her breathing as her chest pushed against it, which led to her staggering up to Jessica.

Jessica sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Do ya need another moment?"

Rebecca wanted to shoot something back at her but was too tired to yell. She nodded. The two of them had been traveling all morning, something her aching legs clearly wanted her to memorize. They'd left the others not long after Captain Enrico left. Although her superior had ordered her to return to Raccoon City and alert Alpha Team, Rebecca had disobeyed, waiting a few minutes before she and Jessica headed after him. Her intention was to rejoin with the Captain right as the three of them arrived at Umbrella's main facility. The plan required stealth and good timing, making sure they didn't run into him before they arrived but not lose track of him at the same time. They started off slow, allowing Enrico to build up his lead as they practiced stealth movement. Rebecca had called upon her police training during her practice, while Jessica had a knack for it, honed by the few times she had hunted in the woods. After enough practice, they tried to catch up to Enrico, not to meet him but close enough for them to see him.

That was where the plan faltered.

After two hours of power walking through the woods, they realized they had missed him. They had strayed somehow, and neither knew where he was. After that, the only thing left to do was head for the labs and try to regroup with him there. Rebecca scanned the forest ahead of her as she recovered her stamina. Somewhere ahead of them, Umbrella had a secret, bio-weapons lab. _I just hope we're going the right way,_ she thought to herself. She wanted the place to be empty of moaning zombies and rampaging monsters, but one glance at Jessica extinguished that vain hope. That was because she knew Jessica's secret. It was the same secret that Jessica's friend, Daniel, shared: they were from the future. Rebecca didn't know how they gained the ability or why Daniel had picked such an odd assembly for reinforcements, but she knew he was from the future. She counted a dozen incidents last night as she, Daniel, Jessica, and Billy had traversed through the Umbrella training facility where Daniel had used his knowledge to protect them and to guide them to safety. She even managed to get him to indirectly confirm his status as a time traveler.

She glanced back at the path they walked through, wondering if he and the others were at Raccoon City yet. _Probably so_. Rebecca bet he knew the layout of the forest like the back of his mind. A sudden thought struck her. _Wait, is that why he gave up so easily?_ She now stared at the forest accusingly, her eyes trying to pierce the natural camouflage to see a certain someone in artificial camouflage. After everyone had escaped the training facility, a brief meeting was held on what to do. Captain Enrico had ordered everyone but himself to return to Raccoon City to contact Alpha Team, to ensure Billy was incarcerated, and to seek medical help for the wounded. Although Daniel and his friends were from the future, they didn't have perfect foresight. During the night, he had been bitten and had been unable to prevent the deaths of his fellow soldiers, Private Carnes and Private Askew.

Naturally, Enrico wanted him to return safely to the city, along with the remaining civilians. Most of Daniel's friends agreed. Jessica and Daniel had argued, but Enrico wouldn't budge. Daniel had been eager to offer his help to STARS, whereas Jessica simply wanted to fight. Neither argument prevailed, so they had turned to duplicity, lying to the STARS captain they would obey. After Enrico left, Rebecca had done her best to convince Daniel he should actually go to the city. He agreed readily…too readily.

Cursing her naïveté, she saw no sign of him but couldn't shake this feeling he was simply lurking out of sight. Jessica threw another retort to keep going at her. Taking one hesitant step, then another, Rebecca surrendered her scan and returned to the path. _He should know better than not to come. He could be infected and is going to need medical treatment if he wants to avoid becoming a zombie._ The logical arguments felt oddly toothless when she compared to them to his rather consistent behavior in playing the part of a hero. She'd have to keep an eye out now.

"How long are ya gonna keep mopin' back there?" Jessica called out as she led the way.

Biting back harsh words, Rebecca scowled at her. She wanted to run and…do something. Yell at her. Maybe even take off that stupid cowboy hat of Jessica's and throw it to the wind. Why was she wearing that thing anyway? Combine the hat with the cowboy boots, and it looked like Jessica was making a lazy attempt at dressing up as a cowgirl for Halloween, even if she was wearing authentic versions instead of cheap stuff bought from a holiday store. "What's the hurry?" Rebecca demanded.

"We're losing daylight!" her compatriot reminded her. "With his head start, who knows how many kills your Captain is gonna make before we get there." She pouted. "If we don't hurry, he's gonna steal all the fun."

Anger, red and hot, flashed through Rebecca. The sensation used to be an occasional experience was quickly becoming a regular occurrence to her. That mere fact only made her angrier. She couldn't comprehend how Jessica could derive any joy from the life-threatening battles with the undead. The cowgirl's whole attitude to last night, like it was some kind of game, enraged the medic. She wanted to scream her fury at her ally, but her lungs were tired, and she needed the energy for the rest of the march to their destination. So, she glared at Jessica before she focused on keeping up with her, forgetting her suspicions about Daniel. _I should have made her go back to Raccoon with the others…if only I could have._ She channeled her frustration into her legs as she half-marched/half-stomped onward.

The emotional energy carried her all the way back up to Jessica's side, and the pair returned to silence. As the last of her anger bled out onto the forest floor, Jessica asked, "What's that?"

Rebecca gazed wearily up, and instantly shifted to alert mode as she held up her shotgun. Ahead of them, the forest laid siege to the largest cabin she'd ever seen. The two-story building sat uneasily as grass and trees grew around it, its brown walls weathered but not aged. A row of windows stared out, hiding the view within as the sunlight bounced off.

After a moment, Rebecca sighed. "This isn't the mansion we saw earlier."

Jessica grunted. "Yeah, but it just might be a part of it. Remember how the last mansion was connected to a church and an underground base? I say we take a look inside."

Her argument leeched the strength out of Rebecca's protests. She glanced to the left and to the right. "I wonder which way is the entrance?"

"Right there," Jessica answered as she pointed her submachine gun straight ahead at the windows.

"Don't be ridiculous," the medic chided. "We should go through the front door, without risking cutting ourselves on glass."

"Uh-uh." The cowgirl threw daggers as she glared back toward what was left of the training facility. "If it's anythin' like back then, then the front door will be unlocked, but then there'll be a dozen locked doors, each requirin' findin' some random key, and each of those will be found only after solvin' some stupid puzzle. I refuse to play that game again. I'm goin' through the window."

"You're not –"

A whetted hiss knifed through the air. The two teenagers paused as they looked for the source. The source identified itself when a long, green-scaled snake fell from a nearby tree. Rebecca instinctively hopped away from the reptile's landing. Not a moment after it fell, the snake slithered towards her, its intent plain to see. Rebecca didn't give it a chance before she blasted it to shreds with a shell.

"Wow," Jessica muttered as she glanced up at the forestry. "What'd ya do to piss it off?"

Rebecca stared uncomprehendingly at the snake bits. "It doesn't make sense." She took a step closer as she mentally measured it.

"Which part?"

The STARS officer took an unsure step away from the mess. "I had to study the local wildlife, in case I had to treat animal bites or venom poisoning. That snake shouldn't have been that hostile, and it's too large for any of the breeds that live in this forest."

"Uh-oh," Jessica declared with a grin. "Big snakes? Like giant cockroaches and leeches?" Her gaze shot to the cabin. "~I sense an outbreak,~" she sang with an all-knowing tone. Her eyes flashed to the dead snake. "They're not poisonous, are th-AAH!?"

The sound of a twig snapping was Jessica's only warning before another snake fell on top of her shoulders. The cowgirl twitched and tried to snatch at the creature, but she couldn't stop it from digging its fangs into her shoulder.

"Goddamnit!" she hollered through gritted teeth as her hand finally grasped onto the reptile's body. She pulled at it, but its fangs pushed deeper as it anchored itself.

Rebecca stepped forward to help when she heard two more drop behind her. She whirled around before opening fire on them. No matter how quickly they moved, the snakes couldn't dodge buckshot. Jessica released her hold on her weapon, the machine gun hanging on by its strap. With her now-freed hand, she gripped the snake's head and squeezed, slipping a thumb in-between its jaws as she applied the pressure to the top of its head. It struggled but lost the wrestling match as she forced it to release her. She focused her rage on the thin monster as she crushed the life out of it.

With a huff, she threw the dead thing against the nearest tree. "Damn snakes," she hissed as she clamped a hand over the bleeding shoulder.

"Let me see it," Rebecca quietly ordered as she grabbed her med-kit and hurried over to her.

"Ya didn' answer my question about the poison or not," Jessica reminded the medic as she pulled the cloth away from the injury.

"Only the red ones in this forest," Rebecca assured her. She pulled out her last first aid spray before she meticulously applied it, using only as much as she needed. The spray went back into the box the moment its services weren't needed. She paused as a thought struck her. "Unless the T-virus causes a mutation." A brief mental image of a giant, poisonous snake staring here in the face sent a shudder down her spine.

Jessica chuckled as she let her shirt slide back over her shoulder. "Guess I'm infected either way, ain't I? Ah well. Now, back to gettin' inside." The high school student marched up to the first window.

Rebecca could only stare incredulously. "…doesn't any of this mean anything to you?"

Jessica threw a quizzical glance over her shoulder. "What'cha goin' on about?"

"You!" Rebecca shouted. "You could be infected by a virus that has no known cure, and is not only lethal, but will also reanimate you as one of the living dead. And you just brush it off like it's nothing. Why!?"

A sigh was Rebecca's answer. "You worry too much about these things. If I die, I die. I ain't gonna go out whinin' like a bitch."

"How can you be so cavalier about this?" Rebecca demanded.

"Cavalier?" Jessica repeated, a big question mark on her face.

"How can you be so nonchalant...so easygoing about your own life?" Rebecca paused, a suspicion entering into her eyes. "Do you…want to die?"

Something flashed through Jessica's face too fast before Rebecca could catch it. Whatever it was, Jessica's usual, cocky smirk replaced it. "I'm just here to kick ass." She abruptly turned her attention back to the window. "And to do that, I need to git in there."

Rebecca wished she was better at reading people. _I should have taken that psychology elective when I had the chance._ "It's too dangerous here, we should find the main entrance," she advised as she put away her kit. She momentarily debated trying to order Jessica to go back to the city and seek treatment, but the chances of that happening were as good as Captain Wesker revealing himself to be a secret mad scientist.

"And risk into runnin' into somethin' worse? You can go off and do whatever you want. I'm taking the shortcut." Jessica pulled out her reserve handgun and fired through the window. One, then two rounds punched through the glass, leaving two small holes at the center of even larger spidery cracks. Jessica paused before she raised an eyebrow. "Ain't it supposed to shatter? In the movies, all it takes is a few shots, and the whole thing comes tumblin' to the ground."

Rebecca sighed. "Glass doesn't work like that."

"Well, it's comin' down, whether it wants to or not!" Jessica declared as she batted at the weakened window with a nearby branch. Under the insistent barrage, the window broke. The cowgirl cleared away the rest of the fragments from the bottom side, giving her hands a safe place to put before she leaped into the building. Rebecca sighed again before she followed.

The buzzing of wings was the two's first and last warning before wasps as large as baseballs flew at them. Rebecca reflexively squeezed the trigger, and four wasps dropped out of the air.

"The hell!?" Jessica blurted as she stared down at the corpses.

Rebecca fought the urge to stare too. Instead, she surveyed the area. The two of them were standing in the middle of a hallway. Ahead of them, the hallway abruptly turned to the right with a human corpse guarding the corner. A large… farming tool was in its hands, Rebecca thought she saw. _Poor guy._ She had an inkling how painful his death must be. When she checked behind her, her heart nearly stopped.

Saliva-covered wood, molded and formed into a wasps' nest occupied the other end. As in, the nest was larger than a full-grown man as it hung off the ceiling and the walls, above somebody's former desk. There was a part of her mind that wasn't surprised. Huge wasps meant a huge nest, but the nest could hold dozens, perhaps hundreds of the giant wasps. Her medical mind began analyzing the amount of poison just one of those stingers would have. _Enough of those things, and we'll be dead in no time, allergies or not._

Even as she formed the thought, the nest became alive as the swarm awoke to the nearby intruders.

"Oh shit," Jessica mumbled when she caught sight of the nest.

Rebecca broke her gaze away from the nest and headed in the opposite direction. "We need to run!"

Submachine gun fire brayed as Jessica shouted, "We'll never find safety in time!" The bullets tore into the flimsy wood, but with so much mass, the hive ate the hot lead as it poured out its defenders.

Rebecca halted her retreat at the corner, about to implore Jessica to run one more time when her eyes recognized what the dead man held in his hands. It was an old-fashioned bug spray. Praying to whoever was listening, the STARS officer let her shotgun slip through her fingers as she lunged for the anti-insect weapon, and hoped it wasn't empty.

No matter how many rounds she fired, Jessica couldn't make more than a dent in either the nest or the swarm flying straight at her. "Damned bugs," she swore as she backpedaled away from the vanguard of the wasps.

"Get down!"

Instincts served Jessica well as she dropped to her knees. Above her, a cloud of grey gas plumed and met the wasps' charge. Instantly, the first wave twitched before falling to the floor only inches away from Jessica. Rebecca passed the kneeling cowgirl as she advanced against the hive. The swarm, no matter how hard it tried to defeat the trespasser, couldn't withstand the well-equipped assault.

Jessica climbed back to her feet, a sullen grimace on her face, now that she was a useless bystander. Her ear twitched when the fluttering grew louder, even as the swarm before her died away. She brushed off the noise without much thought. She regretted it a moment later when she felt something stab into her shoulder. Her head jerked and she found a squadron of the giant pests coming in from behind with one audacious wasp already on her scoring the first blow.

With one angry swipe, she slapped it against the wall before she waved her arms in front of her, disrupting their flight. "Why can't ya be bigger so I can shoot ya!"

The wasps flew in and around her arms as they tried to find a place to land and deliver their payload. One wasp landed on her jeans, but was stopped with a quick kick, which left it fluttering on the floor as it attempted to become airborne.

"I've got them," Rebecca announced as she pointed the nozzle past Jessica's face and sprayed. Three wasps dropped, leaving only two. The first one was without its stinger flew threateningly around the pair, but another spray finished him off. The last one, crippled with a damaged wing as it bounced along the floor, felt Jessica's wrath as she stomped on it four times.


	5. To Rest or Not to Rest?

With the last of the wasps a chunky puddle beneath Jessica's boot, she hissed as she massaged her shoulder where she was stung. "Damn it, that _stings_ like hell!"

Rebecca ignored her for the moment as she strained her ears to detect any more of the powerful pests. The only noise she heard was her partner's pained breathing. With their safety temporarily secured, she switched into medic mode. "Are you allergic?" she asked as one hand reached for her medkit.

"Naw," the cowgirl groaned, "Wouldn't be much help outside the house if I was."

"Okay, then I'll just focus on removing the barb," the STARS member answered as she stood behind the taller teenager. She gently peeled back the blue jacket and the white t-shirt until she saw the source of Jessica's agony. To the medic's distress, the barb was nearly the size of a pin and she wondered just how much pain Jessica was actually in. For better or for worse, its large size made it easy for her to grab it between her nails and pull it out.

Although the source was removed, Jessica didn't feel any immediate relief. She tugged her clothes back in place before she glared at the giant nest at the end of the hallway before flashing her eyes at Rebecca. "Ya got a grenade?"

Rebecca stared back guardedly. "Why?"

"I'm gonna blow that shitty thing to smithereens!"

Shaking her head, Rebecca countered, "We can't waste them on it. We've already killed the wasps, just ignore it."

"Like hell I will!" Jessica shouted before she charged toward the mess of wasp spit and sap. Rebecca wasn't sure what the cowgirl could do and just watched her go, annoyed and in dire need of a nap. But when Jessica came within six paces of the nest, she slowed down and came to a halt at the desk beneath the nest. "Aw shit." Her hand snagged something off the desk before she marched back to the medic. Brandishing a copper key with "003" inscribed on it, Jessica fumed. "Keys! We're gonna need another fricking dozen of these before we're done with this place. I hate Umbrella buildings!" She staggered toward the hallway's other corner. "C'mon, I want to keep movin' and git my mind off the pain. And the sooner we git started, the sooner we finish this nonsense."

Rebecca hesitated. "It might be better if you sat down for a moment. We don't know if there were any other side effects caused by the T-virus. We should rest and wait to see if there are any other symptoms."

"I ain't stoppin'!" Jessica retorted as she rounded the corner.

For a moment, Rebecca wished Daniel was here instead of this annoying partner. He would heeded her advice. She pushed the thought back. There was no changing the situation now, and the soldier should have arrived at Raccoon City by now. Ideally. After a sigh, Rebecca followed after Jessica.

After a short walk, the hallway emptied into a large room that looked like a cross between an old Western museum and a laboratory. In the center of the room, a large square table held strange, circular devices, one looking like a tiny Ferris wheel, that Rebecca guessed were old lab instruments. On two walls were beakers, vials, microscopes, and glass slides with tiny samples.

Another hallway disappeared behind the corner ahead of her. A strange noise, a kind of grassy shuffling seeped in from a set of double doors in front of her that pulled her toward it. However, before she could investigate or take a closer look at the room's other particularities, Jessica released a small cry of victory. The cowgirl stood in front of a door only three feet in front of the medic, placing itself between the mouth of the hallway of the wasp nest and the hallway of strange noises. Jessica shoved a key into a third door's lock. Above the door was '003'.

"Maybe the rest of them will be this easy," Jessica hoped as she opened the door. No monster popped out at them, and she took that as a sign to enter with Rebecca trailing behind her. A wall light shaped like an old oil-lamp was reduced to redundancy as sunlight entered from the room down the short hallway. Between the two was another door, which Jessica promptly tried. Unlike the first door, this one happily gave her entry.

At first glance, Jessica thought it was just an old-fashioned cabin bathroom: a wooden medical cupboard hung above a porcelain sink. The tub was one of those smooth, almost rectangle ones, except a third of the bottom sloped up; it even had one of those oval rods hovering above it where the shower curtain would hang. Little beat-up, but normal. Then she realized that it wasn't meaningless debris loitering on the floor or clutching the walls.

Rebecca gasped when she got her good look of the room. "Are those…roots?"

Jessica nodded, perturbed. "Yeah."

It looked like a tree had decided to attach itself on the other side of one wall and exploded its roots into the bathroom. Except, there weren't boards tossed here and there, which meant it had been a gradual growth. Jessica tapped her foot against one of the tendrils and noted it wasn't wood. "Soooo, I'm guessing the T-virus can affect plants now?"

Rebecca's eyes roved over the man-sized roots. "It looks like it," she murmured with a worried frown. "How did they create a virus that can affect multiple kingdoms?"

Jessica shot a glance toward the medic. "What kingdoms, where?"

"It's a biology term for different kinds of life," Rebecca began, taking the opportunity to share some of her gathered knowledge. The exercise was distracting from the horror in front of her. "We're part of the animal kingdom."

"And it's weird that the T-virus is infectin' plants now?" Jessica threw out as she went back to exploring the overrun bathroom.

"The way the T-virus works, it sounds more like it's a bad piece of science-fiction than an actual virus," Rebecca noted in frustration. "I might be able to understand it better if I could've grabbed more detailed notes and documents at the training facility."

"All gone now," Jessica said as she took a step back from the roots, her search wasted. "Nothin's here." She glanced at the pool of dirty water lurking in the tub. "Unless, somethin's in there." She promptly stabbed her hand into the rancid liquid before pulling the plug. No leeches or zombies ambushed her as the water drained out. Instead, she found a rusting dagger on the bath's bottom. "Well, it's somethin'."

Rebecca followed her back to the main room when she noticed something. She studied her partner and realized the cowgirl's breathing was ragged. Not only that, sweat slid down her head in thick waves, but her skin was pale. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jessica growled.

This time, Rebecca didn't meekly accept the situation. She marched in front of Jessica and shoved a hand against Jessica's forehead. To her alarm, Jessica's skin was on fire. "You have a fever."

Jessica slapped Rebecca's hand away with a snarl. "I'm fine!" She peered over the room. Unlike the bathroom, no monster roots clutched at the walls. The bed's blue-and-white checkered blanket slouched over the side, while the desk held a smattering of disarrayed office supplies but no body lingered in the room. The desk lamp lit dimly compared to the strong sunlight, but no haywire electronics were in sight. Jessica began her search with the desk but staggered as her boot slipped on a runaway row of pens on the floor.

Rebecca grabbed her arm and helped her back to her feet, images of a zombie Jessica lurking at the edge of her imagination. "That's enough!" The medic ordered. "You need to rest and let me diagnose what's wrong with you."

Jessica bared her teeth, but she swayed wearily on her feet, rendering the gesture wasted. "I'm not done yet," she protested.

The bed shifted into importance as Rebecca lightly pushed Jessica onto the bed, the pillows shoving Jessica's cowboy hat to the side. "You're exhausted, dehydrated, and infected, if not poisoned. You're not doing anything else until you've rested." With her patient situated, she set up her med kit on the desk, sweeping the junk onto the floor.

"I'm not infected," Jessica muttered, while Rebecca worked. "Let me go, I need to kill more monsters."

"You're not going anywhere," Rebecca stated as she went through familiar procedures. To her dismay, she discovered symptoms of allergic reaction to the wasp sting. The snake bite was free of venom. More importantly, she couldn't find any signs of necrosis. _Does that mean she isn't infected or that the T-virus hasn't had enough time to take effect?_ A disturbing thought froze her. _Should I even treat her? If she's infected, then I should concentrate on finding a cure. Nothing else will save her at this point._ A darker thought slithered in from the back of her mind, eager to remind her that she wasn't in much better shape. A desert occupied her throat, soreness gripped her muscles, and sleep wouldn't stop poking at her eyes. _I don't think I can find the cure in time. It'd be safer to…put her out of her misery now._ Memories of Edward flashed in her eyes.

Her moment of introspection was interrupted when she realized Jessica's eyes were locked on her. "I'm not infected," the cowgirl repeated. Exhaustion and weakness sapped her voice to the point where Rebecca couldn't tell if Jessica sounded confident or desperate.

A minute passed as the two teenagers stared at each other, one unsure, the other fading. Finally, Rebecca shook her head. Her fingers slid over her handgun's grip. She stood and faced the door. "I need to find a blue herb to purge the wasp venom. I'm going to find one and come right back." She glanced at her partner. "Okay?"

Jessica stared back at her with half-lidded eyes, uncertainty and frustration flitting across her face. With a sigh, she nodded. "Don't take too long. The pain fuckin’ sucks."

"I'll be right back," the STARS member assured her one last time before she set out of the room. Once the door was closed behind him, Rebecca felt her resolve shake. She had been awake for over 24 hours, hadn't eaten a full meal since yesterday, and had spent half the time in combat. Even the floor looked comfortable enough to sleep on.

"Come on, Rebecca, keep it together." She glanced over her options and opted for the hallway to her right. The Umbrella training facility had a few dozen medicinal herbs growing throughout the facility. She hoped the same held true for this place, whatever it was. To increase her chances, she hugged the outer wall on the chance the herbs would grow closest to the outside.

She glanced between the two directions. To her left, the hallway led to a looming set of double doors. To her right, past the Old Western laboratory, a lone door casually stood. After a careful moment of weighing the virtues and dangers of each path, i.e. trying to guess which door had the smaller horde of monsters seeking to tear her head off, she went right.

With a flick of her wrist, the door clicked open and granted her entry. She stepped into another hallway going off to her right and to her left before sharply turning to the right. Sticking to her plan, she went left, keeping her next to the sun-filled windows. Although the abundant light revealed just how old and worn the building was, it was a far better than the night she spent in that last Umbrella nightmare of a building. A yawn slid out of her mouth as she walked down the hallway. _I don't know how much longer I can keep going._

She passed stacks of old papers piled high in corners, cobwebs hovering off the ceiling, and old dressers filled with grainy photos before she reached the next door. It was on her right, which meant she had to abandon the building's outer edge temporarily. She quickly missed the sunlight when she stepped through.

It was another hallway that connected to a longer one that split into another 'T' ahead of her. That was fine. What was creepy was the large hole in the floorboards a few feet ahead of her. Neither the sun or the working light above the door pierced the hole's darkness. Next to it was a stack of crates. She had to choose to climb the boxes or simply hop over the hole. She took one slow step to the hole and immediately thought better of it.

 _Who knows what could be down there,_ she warned herself as she climbed over the square boxes. She safely stepped onto the other side and went left, trying to get back to the outside wall. Two doors occupied both sides of the hallway as she walked forward. For once, she ignored them for now, focusing on simplicity for her search. The hallway emptied out into a small foyer. Her eyes drifted toward the patch of light shining in from the left side. It guided her to the only door to the outside.

Moving cautiously, she gave the doorknob a twist. With a wooden groan, it opened. Rebecca stood in the open doorway, momentarily basking in the sun's heat. With a sigh, she closed the door and turned around. And promptly discovered a small colony of blue herbs on the other side of the hallway's entrance. Someone had collected several samples and placed them all into one long rectangle flower pot.

She dropped down to her knees, inspiring another bout of exhaustion to wash over her. _C'mon, just need to get this last task done._ After carefully removing one and storing it in her med-kit, she staggered to her feet as sleep tried to hold her down. Once back on her feet, she hurried back to Room 003, climbing back over the crate hill, and through the winding hallways.

"Almost there, almost there," she mumbled to herself as she slowed down in front of the door. She opened it and was struck by the silence within. Unsteadily, she raised her handgun into a firer's stance as she inched down the hallway. She paused at the end of the room's hallway and peered around the corner.

Jessica hadn't moved since Rebecca left her. She was covered in sweat, but her chest quietly and consistently rose and fell. To further reassure the medic of her patient's life, the cowgirl cracked an eye open and muttered after a moment, "Not dead yet."

Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief as she placed her handgun on the nearby desk. She grabbed the desk's chair and pulled it over to the side of the bed. "I found the blue herb. Give me a moment, and I'll have you treated."

While the STARS member prepped the herb, Jessica asked, "Find anything interesting out there?"

"I found the front door and these blue herbs, nothing else," Rebecca yawned as she ground the herb into a fine powder.

Jessica frowned. "No monsters? Zombies? Zombie dogs? What about those lizardmen?"

"Unlike you," Rebecca replied crossly, "I don't go looking for fights. As soon as I rendezvous with Bravo Team, we're going to finish this investigation as quickly as possible and be back home before the day is over." Finished, she carefully poured the blue sand over Jessica's bite marks, the anti-venom suffusing through the skin. "Give it a minute; you should feel it take effect."

"And then, then I'm back in action," Jessica weakly declared as one hand gripped her handgun.

Rebecca shook her head. "No, you need to rest. You're barely staying awake as it is."

"Look who's talkin’."

Rebecca stopped herself from rubbing one eye to glare at her patient. "You're still not getting up."

"I'm not dyin' like this," Jessica insisted as she pulled herself up.

Rebecca pushed her back down, despite Jessica's protest. "No one said you're going to die."

"Bullshit! I've been bitten and stung. I ain't getting' any better without some kind of cure," Jessica argued. "I need to keep going."

"We don't know if the snakes or the wasps are T-virus carriers," Rebecca insisted. "Besides, you're not going to be able to get anything done like this. Rest, that's an order."

Jessica struggled against the hands holding her down for another few seconds before the fight sagged out of her. She threw one last exhausted look of venom at her teammate before she started to drift off. "Ya'd better be right…or ya're the first one… I'm gonna eat."

Rebecca opened her mouth to retort, but Jessica was already in dreamland. She sighed before she switched out her med kit for a handgun. "Don't you worry about that. I'll, I'll put you out of your misery before that." Instead of the gung-ho, tough cop voice she was aiming for, her voice shook with thin anxiety. _I'll do what I have to. I can shoot her if I have to…I can._ She double-checked her handgun, making sure it was loaded and the safety was on.

One hand absentmindedly stroked the fully covers after she finished her weapons check. The cotton invited her to lay down her tired head. After all, she had been awake for over twenty-four hours. That was unhealthy and did nothing but lower her mission readiness. Rebecca stared at the checkered covers hesitantly. _I'll just, I'll just shut my eyes for a few minutes. If anything happens, I'll be on my feet in a second. I just need a little power nap to keep coming. No more than ten minutes._ With every thought, her head lowered another inch until she was rubbing her face into the soft fabric. In three seconds, her world consisted only of dreams and nightmares.


	6. The Fundamentals of Survival

_This could easily be the most embarrassing way to die. Please, God, don't let it happen like this._ All around the young soldier, the forest spread out in a vast maze. The vibrant trees blinded him, the wet soil clutched at him, and the radiant sun blazed upon him. His close-cropped blonde hair clung to his scalp after being soaked in his sweat. With every step, his legs burned in protest, weary after miles of marching through the Raccoon Forest. The rifle's sling dug into his left shoulder, persistently trying to pull him down.

Daniel was not having a good day.

He had a simple plan that was going as awry as the first one had. His first one had also been simple. In the blink of an eye, he and several of his friends had been teleported into the world of Resident Evil. Upon discovering this, he led them directly into the starting level of Resident Evil 0 with the intent to meet with Rebecca and Billy, help them along with their adventure, and figure out a way back home. Objectives one and two had been a stunning success. Not only had Rebecca and Billy survive the night, Kevin Dooley, the obscure Bravo Team pilot had joined them, saving him from being devoured by zombie dogs. But it had come at a huge price.

Shantia and Bart, two classmates and battle buddies, had died as they had fought the rampaging monsters. Worst of all, Daniel could easily be on his way to join them. Although he had been trying to ignore it, he could still see the leech bites in his mind's eye. As of right now, the T-virus was making a home in his body. The odds of his survival were one in ten. Either he was immune and would become an even better fighter against the infected horde, or he wasn't and he'd be joining them in less than a week.

 _Probably less, given my wounds_ , he thought dourly as he glanced at his left arm. Day-old bandages protected a bite wound from outside infection. A gift from an infected baboon that had nearly attacked Rebecca, until Daniel had jumped in the way. While the Eliminator was probably unable to infect others, being wounded increased the infection rate regardless.

The third objective had been a complete failure. At no point during the night, did Daniel or his friends discover a hint of what power had brought them here or what could send them back. At this point, given his lifespan might be counted in days, he wasn't concerned. Right now, his current plan was to discreetly follow Jessica and Rebecca to the Spencer mansion and aid Alpha Team through their own night of horrors. He had sent the rest of his friends with Kevin Dooley to Raccoon City to summon Alpha Team and to get them to safe-keeping.

While he didn't know how well his second goal was going, he wouldn't be surprised if his friends had already reached the city. He wasn't sure how well Alpha Team would respond to Kevin appearing without any of the other members of Bravo Team, but he trusted that STARS would come out to investigate soon enough. _Even if they don't believe Kevin, at least Tim, Katelyn, and Bruce are safe._

On the other hand, his first goal had failed miserably. He had lost track of Rebecca and Jessica at some point during the long walk and was now wandering around aimlessly in the vast expanse of Raccoon Forest. Which had led to his current fear: dehydration.

He took a moment to wipe off the sweat of his brow, and dried his hand on his shirt, creating the fifth dark spot on his tan t-shirt. The rest of his Army uniform was worse. Dried blood stains and sewage water were all over his camouflage pants. A Tyrant had cut off the combat jacket's left sleeve when it narrowly missed him during an earlier fight.

 _A small price to pay for keeping my head,_ he thought as he glanced at his jacket. Once the July summer day swung the temperature higher, he had taken off the jacket and tied it awkwardly around his waist, using the lone sleeve. While his arms were fine, his feet were melting in the desert combat boots. The boots were made for summer, but the standard issue green, wool socks countered that advantage.

He paused beneath a tree as he let the shade cool him off for a moment. Another scan revealed no distinguishing marks to guide him within the forest. Somewhere out there was a mansion and his comrades. There was also another zombie dog pack, but that didn't scare him right now. No, what terrified him was the small headache invading his cranium. In of itself, it was a minor nuisance, especially after the severe injuries garnered during last night's misadventures. But it was a signal for something that could kill him: a heat stroke.

When he had first enlisted, he did Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, during a record-high summer. Hours of training were lost when the entire company had to pause and wait for the heat to die down. He still remembered one memorable formation when a trainee behind him collapsed from heat exhaustion.

 _If I collapse here, I might just die before I even see the Spencer mansion. I survive an entire night of zombies, leeches, Eliminators, and a Tyrant, only to be taken down the next day by the Sun? That'd be so lame. Have to find water._ He pushed off the tree and returned to meandering through the forest. Despite the T-virus outbreak, normal woodland creatures continued their daily hunts for food. Birds chirped above him and hopped between branches. A doe and a fawn briefly passed by the edge of his vision before heading deeper into the forest.

One fox languidly trotted into sight, stopping to investigate a bush. Daniel stared at it uneasily. _Does blood have enough water to help? Do I have a choice? The headache is getting worse._ He pulled at his rifle's sling until the M16 was in his hands. Moving as slowly and delicately as he could, he brought it up to his face as he assumed a firer's stance. Sweat stains clouded his glasses, but he didn't need perfect precision to make the shot. _Sorry about this, but I need to live a bit longer._

Daniel squeezed the trigger.

The rifle made a click noise.

The fox ran off.

Daniel stared at the last spot where he saw the fox. Then, he glared at his rifle. "STUPID PIECE OF CRAP!" He yelled as he un-jammed the rifle, the rifle spitting out the bullet. Growling and grumbling, Daniel retrieved the round before he resumed his walk. _If I'm not going to find any water soon, maybe I should just stop and wait for sundown. It'll be cooler and safer to travel. But what if a Hunter finds me? What if I fall asleep and don't wake up? Why did I think this was a good idea? I'm just on a roll of bad ideas. First, bringing my friends on this misadventure, then letting Billy punch me in the stomach, and now this mess._ Daniel glanced over his shoulder to where the remains of the training facility were. _I wonder how Billy is holding up. Hopefully, better than me._

The sound of his marching boots accompanied the forest's natural tune as he continued to look for water or someone who wouldn't bite his face off. The sun was high in the sky now, but his watch was a much more reliable at telling him the time: 11:15 am. _I've been in this forest for five hours!? No wonder I just want to fall over._ Daniel's frustration faded as a wave of dizziness fell on him. He took an uneasy step forward as his heart hammered in his chest. _Not much time. Water, I just need water! If only I had a canteen._

Even as the world tilted around him, Daniel moved forward. To stop now was too risky. The dizziness had its fun as it tripped Daniel. Somehow, he kept his footing and pressed onward. His stomach complained, but Daniel shut it out of his mind. _One step after the other_. _Just like Dory says. Just keep walking, just keep walking. Man, I would love to be swimming in water. Don't care if it was freshwater or saltwater. Just something._

A branch caught his foot and the ground leapt up to tackle him. He grunted as the M16 shoved itself into his empty stomach. It was nothing compared to the terror screaming in his heart. He pushed himself up, but his muscles protested. All of his energy was gone after all the walking without any kind of sustenance. What was the point? _I'm so tired._

As his breathing quieted, the forest's music filled the gap. Birds singing. Insects chirping. Something bubbling. …bubbling? Daniel forced his head off the forest floor. His ears couldn't let go of the sound. Something directly ahead of him was bubbling. It could've been a river, a brook, or a creek, for all he knew. All it meant was that life was still within his grasp.

Doing his best to ignore the spinning world or the pounding headache, he crawled forward, doubtful he could walk. A row of bushes formed a weak barricade as he pushed through them. On the other side was a small hill. He crawled forward and came to a stop between two trees. The hill became a natural embankment as it abruptly dropped into a large stream. Three feet below him, water flowed past him, unhurried, unaware of his desperate need. It was deep for a stream, its clear water showing him the dirt bottom.

 _I'm gonna live! Thank you God!_ Not willing to tempt fate, he shed the rifle, his back-up handgun, all of the ammo, the herbal mixture, and explosives out of his pockets. Then, with all of the grace and poise of a walrus, he rolled off the hill. The cool water embraced and soothed him as it nudged away the layer of heat stifling him. For a moment, he floated as the soft current pulled his fear away. His boots dragged toward the bottom, but with a quick jerk of his arms, Daniel broke through the surface.

He wasted no time as he guzzled as much as he could. Only after his stomach was full did he stop and went back to lounging in the stream. _In hindsight, I probably should be more worried if the water is clean enough. Oh well._ His eyes focused on the scratched lens of his glasses, now waterlogged. "Should've taken those off too." He checked his pockets and groaned. "And I left my cell phone and my wallet in my pockets, too. Great." With a sigh, he swam toward the embankment. "Well, it's not like it can get any worse."

"Where the hell is Wesker?" Chris Redfield shouted as he slammed the phone down on the receiver. The former Air Force sergeant snarled as he stood to his full height. His dark blue eyes threatened to burn a hole in the electronic.

Jill Valentine yawned as she ignored Chris' growing temper. "Still no answer?"

Chris glared at the hapless office phone. "Nothing. He's not answering his cell phone or his house phone." He turned toward Jill. "Do you have another number we can try?"

Although he had already asked her twice, Jill shook her head. After her very unusual interview with Bruce, she had returned to the STARS office and called in the rest of Alpha team. Everyone came except Wesker. Jill had made the first attempt at 7:40 am, when she had returned from the hospital. He was the first one she attempted to contact and was surprised when he hadn't answered. Unusual, but she decided to try again after reaching the rest of Alpha team. Chris, Barry, and Brad had responded quickly, arriving at the police station ready to go not more than half an hour after their calls. Joseph had already been in the department awake and manning the radio throughout the night, so Jill had ordered him to take a quick nap before the others arrived. Her second call to Wesker went unanswered. As did the third one, when the STARS members began to file into the office.

Chris had offered to drive over to Wesker's address and retrieve him. While he did that, Jill gave the broad picture to the remaining Alphas. Kevin was dead, and Bravo team was stranded and in danger. When asked for details, she had staved them off by declaring she would explain in full after Wesker and Chris got back. Then Chris returned without Wesker, which led to them working on that mystery. After four hours, they had made no progress.

Out of all of them, Chris was the angriest. "We have a team that needs support ASAP and he's nowhere to be found. This is the most unprofessional thing he's done!"

"It's the only unprofessional thing he's done," Jill pointed out, trying to smooth out her compatriot's anger. _Though the timing couldn't have been worse._ She took another sip of the coffee on her desk. Despite being made of wood, the desk serenaded silently, inviting her to lay her down and get a few minutes of sleep. She was down a couple hours of sleep and was running on a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's that Brad brought in two hours ago.

Joseph hadn't bothered to resist. When it became clear Wesker wasn't coming in anytime soon, he'd folded his arms on his desk, plopped his head down, and had been sleeping ever since. Chris' yelling had yet to wake him.

"Still," Barry said as he grabbed a sprinkled donut. Barry always had a box somewhere on his desk. No doubt it contributed to his growing waistline, though age took some of the blame. "We can't keep waiting like this. I say if we don't hear from him soon, that we simply go without him."

Brad looked over from his spot manning the radio, his brown hair slicked back as usual. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Doesn't that violate some kind of regulation?"

Chris threw a glare at their pilot and Brad quickly withered beneath it. "Our teammates are out there in the forest without support and transportation. Do you think I care what the regulations say?"

"No," Brad squeaked.

"Chris, lay off," Jill answered. "He's just trying to help."

Chris grumbled something underneath his breath before he turned toward Jill. "It's been four hours. We can't expect when or even _if_ Wesker will show up, so we need to get moving. Jill, how about you give us the rest of your information; we'll come up with a plan of action and execute. If Wesker shows up, then we'll fill him in. If he doesn't, we don't worry about him."

An uneasy feeling spread through her. She didn't like lying to her team, whether it be deliberate or by omission. But she doubted they'd believe everything Bruce had told her. She didn't even believe everything he'd said. Zombies? Giant monsters? A virus that sounded like it belonged in a B Horror movie? _How much should I say?_ "Alright," she replied slowly. "You should wake up Joseph first."

"I've got it," Barry said before Chris could make his own attempt. After some gentle shaking, Joseph groused back to reality. Alpha’s Omni Man shoved his bright red bandana back into place as he fought off a yawn.

Jill opted to stay in her seat as she explained. "The situation is worse than we anticipated. We feared there was a small cannibal cult, but there are far more individuals involved. We can expect uh, somewhere between fifty to one hundred cultists." She took a moment to clear her voice and to infuse more confidence into her voice. "In addition to the cultists, they have a pack of trained attack dogs and have been witnessed to ingesting a wide variety of narcotics to ignore self-inflicted wounds that create the impression of a walking corpse." She hesitated before presenting the next piece of information. "There may be a connection between them and the Umbrella Corporation."

The rest of the Alpha team had been digesting her information with looks of stern determination, growing disgust, and one case of open bewilderment. The mention of Umbrella raised a couple of eyebrows. "Jill, how sure are we of this connection?" Joseph prodded, his brown eyes freed from sleep. "Would Umbrella really involve themselves with something illegal as this?"

 _No, apparently, they're involved in something much worse._ Jill kept that to herself. "I have no physical evidence of this, but it's something we need to keep an eye out while on mission. As of right now, the witness I spoke with has explained that Edward is also KIA, while Forest, Kenneth, and Richard are currently MIA. Captain Enrico and Rebecca are headed to the cannibal's base of operations. They are working with an army soldier known as Private Daniel Sims and a civilian known as Jessica June."

Chris grimaced. "Half of the team is missing, and Edward is dead? How reliable is this witness?"

"I have no idea," is what Jill wanted to say. Instead, she replied, "He’s currently our only source of intelligence."

"Who's the soldier? And do we know how the civilians made it into the forest?" Barry asked. The balding officer bore a paternal air as he scratched at his beard.

"Unknown," Jill said, "the witness wasn't forthcoming on how they made it into the forest, only about what happened last night. Apparently, there were two other soldiers and a civilian who also died that were associated with my witness."

Before the conversation could go on, the office door opened and Wesker marched in, already dressed for a mission and wearing his signature sunglasses. Chris shot to his feet, "Where the hell have you been, Wesker!"

Wesker paused. "Chris, address me like that again, and I'll discipline you. I'm still your superior officer." He scanned the rest of them. "I want Alpha team in the air in fifteen minutes. No excuses. Jill, brief me on the way."

"Do you even have a vague idea of what's going on?" Chris demanded. "Sir."

"The messages left on my phone gave me a brief synopsis of the situation," Wesker said as he went through his desk, gathering his personal equipment. Without looking, he continued, "I understand that you're frustrated over my absence, but I will ground you, Officer Redfield, if you can't control yourself. If the situation is as dire as the messages implied, then I need officers that are alert and level-headed." He looked to Chris. "Understood?"

Chris fumed before taking a deep breath. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get moving, team. Fifteen minutes."


	7. Directions Forward

**A/N:** Normally, I aim for 3,000 words a chapter. However, given the consistent pleas I have received, I decided to make an exception.

Jill startled back to waking as the helicopter landed on the helipad. The brown-haired woman stifled a groan as she forced herself back some semblance awareness. Part of that awareness warned her that her beret had fallen between her feet. She half-slumped over as she swiped it from the bare helicopter floor. She clambered out of her seat as she put the beret back on.

With bleary eyes, she saw the rest of Alpha Team wasn't much better. All of them shuffled out of the copter. The only two exceptions were Chris and Wesker. Chris powered through his exhaustion with steeled determination. Wesker was, well, Wesker. The man seemed inhuman.

The rest of them, however, were quite human.

They were half-asleep. Barry looked like he was about to fall asleep walking. Chris had to jab Joseph twice before the younger man stirred from his nap. The bandana-wearing cop yawned as he holstered his shotgun behind his back. None of them had gotten a full night's sleep. It had made it all the more difficult to fight the natural swaying of the helicopter in the light winds above the forest. They had all fought the urge, keeping a constant vigil for the members of Bravo Team.

It had proven fruitless.

Eight hours lost as they had swept over the entire forest, grid by grid. On Wesker's orders, they had started with the forest southeast of the city. Jill hadn't agreed with that decision; she believed it would have been wiser to start their search in the eastern portion of the forest. Bruce had gestured in that vague direction. Wesker had overruled her. Without a precise destination, he insisted the search would be as thorough as could be starting at the edge of the area indicated in case Bruce's memory was unreliable. Jill could not argue against Wesker's logic or counter his commands.

"Alpha Team, I want everyone to take one hour of rest. Recuperate however you need to. Then we'll continue the search," Wesker ordered as they filed off the landing pad.

"It only takes twenty minutes to refill the chopper," Chris pointed out.

"Chris," Brad groused. "We're all about to fall asleep on our feet. I can't fly the chopper like this."

Jill saw the anger heating up in Chris' eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. A silent growl answered her as his gaze swiveled towards her. Jill did not react in the slightest as she softly shook her head. Chris glared at her for another second before taking a deep breath. "Right."

She stayed there, keeping her gaze on him. Chris took the hint and waited as the other STARS members entered the building. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The former Airman resisted at first. That in of itself was a bad sign. Two years of combating terrorism and the rougher cases of law enforcement had created a deep camaraderie among the STARS teams. Only two individuals didn't benefit from this bond. The first was Wesker, who had resisted it with his relentless professionalism. The second was Rebecca, who was too new to the teams.

For the rest? Jill knew where each of them lived, their birthdays, and most of their families. She had babysat Barry's daughters on more than one occasion. She had offered dating advice to Richard. And she had spent hours at the bar with Chris. She hadn't seen him this hostile in months.

His resistance melted beneath her caring eyes. "We should have gone first," he muttered.

She waited, her instincts sensing more.

"Bravo might be larger, but we have more expertise. We should have gone first. We've allowed a teenager, barely an adult, get sent into one of the most hostile situations we've had to deal with in the history of this department." He gritted his teeth. "And she along with the whole team might be dead because we didn't go as we should."

Jill laid a hand on Chris' shoulder, suppressing a shiver against the biting wind knifing across the helipad. "She reminds you of Claire, doesn't she?"

Chris shot Jill a morose look. "She's too young for this. It was supposed to be a light recon mission."

Jill leaned in closer as she patted his shoulder. She stifled her own anxiety over the situation as she said, "She understood the danger when she signed up."

"Wesker never should have agreed to it," Chris rumbled. "If anything happens to her…"

Jill squeezed his shoulder. "Get some sleep, Chris. You won't be able to help her like this."

Chris took a deep breath before he nodded. "Thanks, Jill."

Together, the two of them left the helipad as they stepped into the building. As she did so, Jill threw one last look over the forest surrounding her city. She said a silent prayer to whoever might be listening up there. In truth, she was as desperate to be out there as Chris was. In a way, she felt worse. Bruce had pleaded to her directly to save both Jill's comrades and his friends. He had given vital information to her. Trusted her to do use it to do good.

The door closed behind her as her heart threatened to sink beneath her failure.

For a third time, Daniel's stomach grumbled. In the back of his mind, he knew he could ignore it. The human body could go only a few days without water. It could go an entire month without food with the right amount of precaution. He was in no danger of staving himself any time soon.

None of this information stopped him from feeling like he was dying. The pain clawed at him from inside. With infinite patience, it carved and twisted his insides. Squeezing his stomach only reminded him how empty it was.

Ironically, drinking the creek water is what had triggered this pained state of existence. With his body no longer panicking over a quick demise at the hands of heat, it had remembered his other needs. Simple things, like food.

A squirrel scrambled above him, moving from tree to tree. His fingers tapped his rifle as he imagined himself eating raw meat. As a general rule, he liked his meat well cooked. Survival, however, had a funny way of affecting one's tastes. He glanced around the forest floor. Sticks and twigs weren't lacking.

A memory sprung to his mind. He was back in high school. The class was walking outside the building to go somewhere. Were they going to the music room? Assembling in front of the building for a class photo? The reason escaped him.

He remembered the weather being pleasant, temperate. Not as murderous as the summer heat wave suffocating him now.

Jessica and he were chatting. She had asked him if he could survive out in the wild after boot camp. He had laughed. "We're not the rangers," he had pointed out.

"What if you need to eat?" She had countered.

"That's what the MREs are for," he had answered as they kept walking.

"And if you get lost? Do you know how to read the forest to figure out where you're going?"

He had snorted. "I'll need a compass, protractor, and a map. If I don't have those, I'm hopeless."

Hopeless indeed, he thought sourly to himself. At this particular moment, he would not have minded some survival training. Could he start a fire like they did in all of those old videos with two sticks? He didn't have a lighter. Maybe he should have asked Billy for his before separating. Not much point in thinking about that scenario now.

He stepped around a particular thick batch of trees and shrubs. He froze as his green eyes went wide.

In front of him was an all-too-familiar humvee. It had not escaped lying on its back since the last time he had seen it. A hideous stench wafted around the overturned vehicle. The corpses of the two ex-zombies laid where he and Jessica had killed them. It had been his first kill.

He had nearly botched the entire thing.

Holding his rifle at a low ready, he circled around the spot. The corpses were damaged. Not only from gunfire, but something had gnawed at them, exposing rotting muscle and sinew.

His stomach held nothing and nearly revolted at the sight and smell anyway. He forced the queasiness down as he muttered, "The infection continues to spread."

He had not wanted to come here again. The poetry of coming back to where his adventure had begun did not entertain him.

But perhaps it could do him some good.

The terror and adrenaline of last night had crafted strong memories for him to call upon. He could picture his past self, unbloodied and with an immaculate uniform, leading his friends onward toward the train. They would find Rebecca, and two of his friends would die.

He turned to the opposite direction. Moving with a quick step, he knew what was waiting for him that way. He considered the humvee the start of everything because that's where he had made his first kill. Yet, one could argue it had begun a little earlier.

When he had met a certain pilot, the first person he had interacted with in this dimension.

The soldier broke through the forest into a familiar clearing. The sight of something familiar raised his spirits. Sitting in the center of it was a helicopter. Bravo Team's helicopter had weathered the night and storm without issue. That suited Daniel just fine as he ambled over to it.

As he approached, he glanced at the exhaust beneath the propellers. They showed signs of fire damage; Wesker's sabotage manifested. The windows, however, weren't broken as they were seen in the start of the original Resident Evil game. Without Kevin to feed them, the zombie dogs never came here to attack and kill the pilot.

Or, at least, they hadn't shown up yet.

Daniel wasn't too concerned about it as he slid open the helicopter's side door. His friends had killed one pack last night. In the Resident Evil 0 game, no dogs had attacked the train Rebecca had found at the start of things. That had not held true last night. The pack had assaulted the train in what Daniel suspected was a consequence to saving Kevin's life.

It had cost the life of Daniel's comrade, Bart, who had died gasping for air out of a ripped throat.

 _At least Kevin is alive_ , Daniel consoled himself as he searched the copter. STARS was the elite force of Raccoon City. Daniel hoped their reputation included a preparation for every situation. With a smile, his eyes laid upon a box underneath one of the seats.

He pulled it out before seating himself on the copter bench. Throwing open its latch, he opened the box to reveal emergency flares and emergency rations. His stomach howled with anger, and Daniel snatched the first ration bar. He tore open the wrapper and took a monstrous bite, almost eating the entire bar in one go.

He chewed a few times before leaning backwards in utter relief. He raised the bar remains as he resumed eating. "To survival," he mumbled to himself.

One painful need on the way to resolution, Daniel looked toward the future. The second major advantage of finding the helicopter was to anchor his sense of navigation. He knew from the games the mansion could be found by traveling from the Bravo helicopter. Since he knew the direction he came from would lead him back to the humvee, all he had to do was travel in the opposite direction.

He finished off the first bar and started on the second as he thought. _It shouldn't be too far away. If I walk for thirty minutes, I should see something familiar. If I don't, that means I missed it. I'll just walk back to the chopper and orient in a different direction. I should be at the mansion, at worst, in two hours._

He was eagerly looking forward to rejoining Jessica and Rebecca. Being alone all day had been its own kind of stress. Companionship, even in the face of danger, would be a welcome change of pace.

His fingers landed on the third and final ration bar. He hesitated. Would there be food at the mansion? Or should he eat now to give him the most energy?

The question became moot with one, terrifying howl.

"No," he breathed as his eyes went wide.

He scrambled to the helicopter door and slammed it shut. "They're supposed to be dead," he hissed as he swung his M16 into his hands.

Another howl.

Much closer.

How much ammo did he have?

Before he could check, a new sound rushed towards his temporary sanctuary: running paws. Daniel flipped his rifle's mode from 'Safe' to 'Burst' and locked his gaze at the helicopter's windows.

_I did not come here just to replace the corpse in this chopper._


	8. The Pieces Assembled

"Wake up!"

Rebecca jerked her head off the faded covers, scrambling onto her feet. She swung her handgun around as she searched for danger. The metal weight had become intimately familiar over the last twenty-four hours and provided a measure of confidence.

Jessica, sitting on the old bed, snorted with a smirk. "A bit jumpy, ain't cha?"

"Snake," Rebecca mumbled. The last dregs of her nightmare slithered away from her memory. They left a sense of danger and vulnerability nestled in her chest causing her heart to race. Her hands tightened around her weapon.

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, we killed a couple of snakes today. Or, was it yesterday?"

 _Yesterday_? Rebecca focused. Daylight had long since abandoned them, leaving them to night's clawed embrace. The light in the room came from ceiling lights. In the back of her mind, she marveled at their persistence. Who knows how long they had been left on?

Startled, she blurted, "How long was I asleep?"

Jessica shrugged. "Dunno. I woke up just now."

As her mental faculties coalesced into full functionality, Rebecca's attention shifted from the dark window to Jessica. The teenager no longer looked as battered and bruised. Not to say she looked good. Her brown ponytail was getting crusty with old sweat and dirt. The bite marks added ugly marks to her skin. Yet, her green eyes glittered with life and amusement. She didn't shake with weakness and had stopped sweating.

"You look better," Rebecca observed as she stepped toward her companion.

"Better? I'm feelin' awesome," Jessica replied with a grin. "I'm immune!"

Rebecca placed the back of her hand against Jessica's forehead. The fever was gone. "It might be too early to say that, but it does look promising."

"Promisin' enough to get out and start blastin'," the cowgirl declared before leaving the bed.

Rebecca was about to voice her concerns when someone else caught her off.

"Rebecca?"

Both of the women's attentions snapped to the individual who walked into the room. Rebecca felt a wave of relief overcome her as she recognized the kind eyes, the blond high-and-tight haircut, and the strong chin. "Richard," she greeted.

Richard Aiken smiled as he lowered his handgun. To Rebecca's surprise, he looked untouched. No blood stained his orange shirt and vest. No mud clutched at his green, combat trousers. Even his black boots seemed pristine. How had he been so lucky?

Jessica focused on something completely different. "Nice shotgun."

Richard glanced toward his back where the lethal steel hung before focusing back on them. "Are you two alright?"

"Better than ever," Jessica said with a cocky grin.

Rebecca hesitated. "Richard, we were attacked. Edward's dead."

That news deflated the other STARS member as a faraway look covered his face. "I see. It's not much better on my end either. We got attacked by…things and had to split up. The rest of the team is either in hiding or…" he tapered off. He shook it off before announcing, "We just have to find Enrico."

Jessica snorted. "Good luck with that."

Richard turned his full attention on her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ignore you. My name is Richard Aiken, STARS. You are…?"

Jessica gave a hearty nod, her cowboy hat shifting with the motion. "I'm Jessica June, professional badass."

Rebecca resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Richard, to his credit, answered in all sincerity, "It's good to meet you." He turned toward Rebecca. "Can you explain to me why there's a civilian with you?"

Flashbacks of the training facility zoomed through Rebecca's mind. How could she explain everything that had happened last night? The deaths, the fighting, and the nightmarish facility. It was at this moment she realized that allowing a civilian to accompany her to another dangerous situation may not have been the most professional thing she had ever done.

In the pause of her reluctance, Jessica happily filled the void. "I can explain myself. You see, I'm sure you've noticed there's a bunch of monsters and zombies roamin' every which way. Well, I didn't feel like just wanderin' around and getting' eatin'. So, I've offered to help out." Jessica hefted her handgun and pointed at the submachine gun on her back.

"I see," Richard said slowly. "I guess we can't escort you out of here. Thank you for helping out."

Jessica's smile widened. "Happy to be of service."

Richard glanced over both of them. "Both of you seem to have seen some serious action. I'm sorry it's turned out like this." To Rebecca, he added, "What a horrible first assignment, huh?" As far as understatements went, Rebecca had trouble imaging something worse. Her silence lasted longer than she intended, and Richard said, "First, we have to get some place safe."

Jessica snorted again. "Safe? You're new to Umbrella facilities, ain'cha? There's nowhere here going to be safe, except maybe one or two rooms around here."

Richard quirked an eyebrow. "Umbrella?"

"Wow, you're new. I thought you said you've already fought some zombies?"

"It's a bit of a leap to go from fighting some… monsters to claiming that Umbrella is responsible," Richard pointed out.

"Actually, Richard," Rebecca began. "We do have evidence that the Umbrella Corporation is responsible for the incidents happening in these mountains."

Richard took a moment to digest that before he nodded. "Alright, I'll wait for a full explanation when we find Enrico. We should get going."

"Now this man has his priorities right," Jessica declared before she sauntered out of the room.

The two STARS members shared a look before they followed her. Rebecca glanced at the door next to the room's entrance. She paused before bypassing it. She wasn't sure where the door led, but the team needed to be heading outward not inward of the building.

Jessica waited for them outside the bedroom, glancing around. "Where to?" She half said to herself. To their right was where the wasp nest was. No doors and no exit points to explore. Around to their left, the hallway continued onward to an ornate set of double doors.

A lonesome red plant sat next to the double doors. Rebecca was annoyed she hadn’t noticed it earlier.

"Red herb," Jessica declared as he walked over to it. "Becky, you got a green one to mix it?"

Rebecca debated arguing against the new nickname. She felt conscious of Richard's attention on the pair of them. As much as she wanted to fight it, an argument might make her look far more childish. _Best to just deal with it_ , Rebecca thought with frustration before checking her supplies. "I don't."

Jessica grunted as she ripped the plant from its pot. "Best save it for later then," she said as she stuffed it into her jeans' back pocket. She paused as she stared at the double doors. "…something's moving in there."

The two STARS officers moved toward her. "Human?" Richard asked.

Jessica shook her head before pressing an ear against the doors. "Uh-uh. Don't sound right."

Rebecca did likewise and could hear an insistent swishing and swaying sound from the other side. "It's organic," she said after a moment. She stepped back. "It's not our problem."

Throwing a frown, Jessica looked at her. "You know how this'll go. We're gonna have to git in there sooner or later."

"After we've regrouped with Enrico," Rebecca replied.

Jessica ignored her as she grabbed the door handle. The door, however, refused her attempts to open it. "Damn it. Gonna need a key, I guess."

Vindication sparked within Rebecca, but she didn't voice it as she returned to the center of the room. In amidst the lab equipment on the center table, she found a magazine of pistol rounds. _Must have been too tired last night to notice this too._ "Richard? Do you need ammo?"

Richard glanced at his handgun and then at Rebecca's. "I have a spare clip, so you don't have to worry about it."

"I actually have a clip and a half left."

"I'll take it," Jessica offered as she brandished her dual weapons. "I don't have any spares."

After a pause, Rebecca nodded before passing it along. Richard gestured to the two remaining doors. "Which one?"

Jessica stared angrily at the large keypad next to the right door. "Don't suppose we could pop it open with a grenade?"

This time, Rebecca shot Jessica a flat look. "No."

Jessica sighed before pointing to the left door. "Looks like we're goin’ that way."

"Should still be safe," Rebecca said as the trio moved. "I had to go through here earlier to find some blue herbs for Jessica."

Richard glanced at the cowgirl. "You alright?"

"Fine, fine. Just a bit of poison."

Richard nodded as he stepped ahead. "I'll take point."

"You're sweet," Jessica said as she stepped around him. "But I'd rather be up front."

This time, Richard frowned. "I'm sorry, but you're a civilian, and –"

"Who has seen a lot more fightin' against these bioweapons than you have," Jessica cut him off. "Woo boy, if you had seen some of the monsters we killed yesterday, we wouldn't be havin' this conversation. Or do you think all of this," she said as she gestured to her healing wounds, "is all for show?"

Richard glanced at Rebecca for verification. Although reluctant, she said, "She's not wrong. She's handled combat well."

Turning back to Jessica, Richard said, "I still don't like it. You're wounded, and I don't want you to get any more hurt. I am going to insist I take point."

The two of them locked gazes for a long moment. Jessica shrugged. "A'ight, go ahead."

Disbelief flashed through Rebecca's entire being. Why hadn't Jessica ever treated her that way? Richard smiled softly before opening the door. Rebecca started walking. Her expression must have been obvious for Jessica snorted after looking at her. "Jealous?"

Rebecca frowned.

"Don't be." Jessica followed after Richard, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I saw somethin' in his eyes you don't have."

Rebecca's frown grew sharper. "What?"

Jessica's eyes became unfocused. "Pain."

Of all answers, that was the one Rebecca hadn't been expecting. "Pain?"

Jessica blinked before shaking her head. "Don' worry about it."

The cowgirl marched onward before Rebecca could inquire further. Loud yet unfulfilled questions sounded in Rebecca's head, but all she could do was follow. The three of them entered into a hallway. "I've been here before," Rebecca said as she glanced both ways. "I went left last time."

Richard pointed in the opposite direction. "I think I see a map down there."

Jessica looked that way and nodded. "Good eye."

The three of them walked to the end of the hallway, passing a door with a large 002 inscribed above it. The map had been posted on the wall. The area had been used to store cleaning supplies. Richard kicked a mop out of the way before retrieving the map. Jessica paused next to the door.

"Only one floor," Rebecca noted as she stepped next to Richard. "That should make things easy."

"Can you point to where you've been?" Richard asked as he stared over the schematic.

"Here, through here," Rebecca answered as she traced a finger over her route earlier that day. "Only one exit to the outside, and I've been right up to it. There shouldn't be any danger to us." She hesitated. "Except for a large hole in the flooring. I didn't see anything, but I made sure to climb next to it over a pile of boxes. Just to be safe."

The twisting of a door handle grabbed both of their attentions. Without a hint of apology, Jessica pushed the 002 door opened. "At least that's one door that ain't locked." A groan emanated from the room. "Well, lookie here. I found a friend."

Rebecca immediately shifted into a shooter's stance before advancing up to Jessica. The sound of sagging footsteps tumbled into the hallway. Jessica, as nonchalant as ever, lifted both of her handguns to eye level.

Rebecca, with Richard coming behind her, slid behind Jessica to see through the door. The scent of old blood struck her first. A hanging lab coat next to the wall was crusted with blood. The smell of rotten flesh was next. The owner of that stench shambled toward the three of them.

No visible wound explained how he had died. The copious amounts of old blood staining the zombie's shirt and pants seemed to have been vomited from its mouth, judging by the spray origin point.

Richard and Rebecca tensed as the zombie neared the door. Jessica simply squeezed the trigger. Brain matter and skull fragments splattered behind the zombie. It took one more shambling step forward before collapsing at Jessica's feet.

She grinned at the medic. "And, just like that, we're back in it."

"I see it!" Joseph crowed.

Chris almost leapt out of his seat as he slid over to Joseph's side. "Where?"

Joseph pointed against the window. "7 o'clock, at the edge of that clearing."

"Verified!" Chris added, energy brimming in his voice.

Jill fought the urge to join them. So many bodies hurrying to one side of the helicopter might unbalance it. Instead, she unholstered her Beretta. As much as she hoped this situation would be resolved easily, Bruce's warnings echoed in her mind.

"Vickers," Wesker began. "Set us down in the same clearing."

"It's going to be a tight fit," Brad said but angled the helicopter downward.

When the helicopter came about, Jill got her first good look at Bravo's copter. It wasn't a reassuring sight. No signs of life were to be found. It may have been in one piece, but there was something wrong with it. She stared hard, until she realized what it was. The windows were broken. Black holes punctured through them.

Her heart's tempo increased.

Despite his warning, Brad landed their chopper without issue. For all of his faults, Brad was an exceptional pilot, better than Chris even. The moment the landing gear made contact with the earth, Alpha Team sprung into action.

Joseph led the way as they formed an arrow centered on his forward point. With an unobstructed view, his camera would not be hampered by his comrades. Jill took her place in the middle of the right wing, Barry behind her in support.

Behind the formation, Brad swung a spotlight toward the sister copter.

Jill realized she was wrong. There were no holes in the copter's windows. Canine bodies hung limply from where they had crashed through. "Attack dogs," she muttered, her voice lost in the roar of Alpha chopper. She redoubled her attention on the team's flank, eyes hard toward the forest.

The wall of stench caught her off-guard.

She stifled a gag and wasn't the only one. Poor Joseph was the worst affected. The bandana-wearing officer doubled over, gasping.

"Oh god, what is that stench?" Barry hissed.

"Stay focused," Wesker ordered, seemingly unaffected by the reek. Maybe the sunglasses protected him, Jill thought sourly.

Regaining his composure, Joseph started marching, the rest of the team in step. He reached the helicopter and swept his flashlight over it. "No one is in the pilot or co-pilot's seat," he called out. He paused. "These dogs are dead." He glanced over his shoulder. "For a long time."

"We lost contact with Bravo team twenty-four hours ago," Chris reminded him.

Joseph shook his head. "No, these dogs have been dead for a couple of weeks, at least. I'm seeing advanced decomposition, and these injuries don't make sense." Joseph pointed his flashlight at the nearest dog. "This one is missing a chunk of its stomach, but it didn't happen here."

Metal clicked as the copter's side door shifted. In a flash, every weapon was aimed at the spot. Slowly, the door slid open.

Taking a slow and ginger step, a soldier shambled out of the helicopter's flank. The bespectacled soldier scanned Alpha Team with tired green eyes. He held a M16 assault rifle in a casual cradle as he regarded them.

Jill's eyes and mind worked in quick conjunction. _Blonde hair, green eyes, average height, and glasses. This must be him._

Daniel nodded to Alpha Team.

"Hi."


	9. The Losses We Carry

Daniel did his best to shake off his exhaustion. How long had he slept? Five, six, seven hours? He couldn't tell. His watch had not survived his impromptu bath in the creek earlier. He was somewhere halfway between collapse and comfort. He hadn't felt this ugly since the last few weeks of Basic. Yet, not as bad as the last week, when he would sway on his feet in broad daylight.

Stupid midnight fire duty.

Unfortunately, he was wake enough for his sense of smell to return. His nose wrinkled at the stench the corpses emitted. The last fight had been terrifying. The z-dogs clawing, slamming against the windows. Himself, trapped in the helicopter. Is this the fate he had saved Kevin from?

He had waited until the glass began to give way. Then, he opened fire. The fight had cost him an entire magazine, a combination of wavering aim and burst fire. That meant his poor M16 only had a single magazine of ammo left to him.

All this and more rattled around his mind as his greeting faded into the forest. The entirety of Alpha Team stood before him. Three images solidified in Daniel's mind. The original game's poor, block graphics. The Remake's more impressive curves and colors. And the reality standing in front of him. The reality was as different as the Remake was from the original.

Jill Valentine put her handgun down as she stepped forward. "Are you Private First Class Sims?"

Daniel nodded, a ghost of his smile playing across his face. "That's right. I take it my friends and Kevin got back safe and sound?" The question was rhetorical. It was obvious that was the case if Alpha Team already knew his name. Yet, Daniel wasn't prepared for the pause in Jill's reply. His mood, tentative and weak as it was, started to sink deeper. "…what?"

Jill stepped forward, naked concern and compassion in her features. "There's been an incident," she began.

Daniel's head jerked side-to-side. "No. No, we sent them back to Raccoon to be safe. Away from everything. They're supposed to be safe, and they were supposed to send you out to help Bravo and us." The dread spiked as Daniel's mind worked through his exhaustion. "But you should have been here hours ago. We split up this morning."

"We don't have all of the details," Jill continued as she stepped up to him. She was only an inch or two shorter than he was, but Daniel felt like she was towering over him with a scythe. A reluctant reaper. "But there was an encounter. One of your friends, Tim, and Kevin," she paused, her own emotions hitting her. "They didn't make it."

A sledgehammer pounded into Daniel's chest. "No," he whispered.

"The other two are fine," Jill offered. "They're at the hospital right now."

"All of them were supposed to be fine," Daniel hissed as he backed away, lightly colliding with the helicopter. Three. Three of his friends were dead now. It didn't matter he had actively tried to protect the survivors.

As hard as that hit him, it was only half the blow. The other was simple, hard truth.

Nothing had changed.

Kevin, despite all they had done for him, had died. They had failed to save Edward. After he had thought he could use his knowledge to make things better for everyone, reality had proven him wrong.

Despair, black as the night, festered within his spirit. His gaze dropped to the dying earth at his feet. "What's the point?" He mumbled, the pain ripping tears from his eyes. He knew Jill and the others were watching him. A primal part of him recoiled at the overt weakness he was showing, but it was a small part of his mind. At that moment, he struggled to think about anything else than his utter defeat.

A hand touched his shoulder. He didn't look up. "I know you've gone through a lot in such a short amount of time," Jill said, her words as gentle as silk. "But we need you to help us. Your friend, Bruce, told us you were traveling with Rebecca and Bravo Team. Where are they now?"

The sense of failure doubled. "I don't know," he murmured. "We got separated this morning. I got lost. I can't do anything right," he said, forcing back a sob.

"We don't have time for this pity par-" Someone started to say before Jill hushed them.

After a moment, Jill continued, more softly, "Daniel, I understand your grief. My mother died when I was around your age. I blamed myself for not doing more, for not being able to stop her death. I can understand how you're being crushed inside. I need you to fight it, just for a little bit. Is there anything more you can tell us? Your friend Bruce mentioned a mansion as the target for their investigation. Do you know where it is?"

Daniel hesitated, which added to his own self-disgust, and a new voice barged in. "Private, the situation is critical. Lives depend on your information."

Daniel's eyes snapped up to the speaker. Captain Wesker, with his ever-present sunglasses, waited for an answer. The sheer hypocrisy of his demand caused something to snap within Daniel. The budding self-loathing abruptly turned from inward to outward. "Then why don't you tell them where it is?" The soldier hissed.

That answer caused a burst of confusion from Joseph who looked from Daniel to Wesker. Wesker maintained his unflappable expression. "We don't time fo-"

"Then tell them!" Daniel shouted. Some part of his mind watched the sudden mood swing with alarm, but that side of logic was far too small to stop himself from pushing off the helicopter and marching up to murderous captain. "You already know where the mansion is! If time was that critical, you could have brought the entire team straight there, landed on the helipad!"

"Easy there, soldier," Chris said as he took a step between Daniel and Wesker. He placed a firm, strong hand on Daniel's shoulder. "You're injured and strained. Just relax, you're safe now. Breathe."

 _None of us are safe with Wesker around_ , Daniel thought spitefully as he continued to glare against those impersonal shades.

It was Jill who spoke next. Not to Daniel, though. "Captain? Do you know what he's referring to?"

Wesker never took his gaze off of Daniel. Silence slipped into the gathering for a moment as Jill's question lingered. "During our rest break, I studied the terrain of the forest. There is a mansion less than half a mile from this location. Our information suggests it's been abandoned."

"What?" Chris dropped his hand as he turned to face his captain. Consternation grew on his face as he regarded his superior. "When were you going to tell us?"

"When it was necessary," Wesker explained, eyes still on Daniel.

"But Jill's tip said they were headed to the mansion," Joseph said cautiously, confusion playing out over his features.

"Given the vague details, I deemed it unreliable," Wesker said. "We knew for a fact their helicopter did go down and was the more logical choice to begin our search."

Daniel had the distinct impression hostility was building behind those sunglasses. Wesker's tone never shifted from cool and professional, yet something felt off to Daniel. The rest of the team digested their captain's words with varying reactions.

None of them seemed content with their officer's explanation.

"Then," Chris began slowly, "we know our next step. Bravo Team isn't here, and the mansion is close by. We can continue our search there."

"Vickers will return to Raccoon City for refuel," Wesker said. "Private Sims, you will accompany and report to the hospital for treatment."

Daniel wasn't sure when, but he found Jill by his side across from Chris. "That's a good idea. You'll have a chance to recuperate, rest, and assure your friends you're in one piece."

The worst part was the temptation. As his rage subsided as quickly as it had surged, Daniel did feel painful exhaustion. He had eaten little, slept poorly, and taken a beating in the last twenty-four hours. The chance to let someone else take this burden away from him resonated deep within him.

He hated that weakness.

"No," Daniel said. He inwardly winced at how flimsy it had sounded and forced him to say it again stronger. "No. I still have a friend there. You're going to need help. And -, " he cut off as he glanced down at his wounds. _And I might be dying anyway._ "And I've already come this far."

"You're not part of this investigation," Wesker stated. "You have no authority here. You will board the chopper."

"I'm already a part of this," Daniel countered. "I spent all of last night working with Rebecca, and I'm the only one here who has any clue what things are going to look like at the mansion." Daniel gritted his teeth as he held his ground. "I'm staying."

The soldier and police officer stared at each other for a moment. It was Chris who broke in. "Captain, he does have a point. He's armed and experienced. We might need the additional firepower."

Wesker's gaze never shifted from Daniel. After another moment, Wesker nodded. "Very well. Frost, radio Vickers. Tell him to standby for coordinates. I want him to positively identify the location for our investigation before returning to Raccoon for refuel. Once that's accomplished, he is to fly above the facility, until called for evac."

"Shouldn't he stay parked out here, Captain?" Joseph asked, his eyes confused beneath his red bandana. "Or head to this helipad this soldier mentioned?"

"Can't guarantee security of the landing site."

Joseph glanced at the dead z-dogs around and in the Bravo chopper before nodding. "Yes, sir."

"You," Wesker continued as he stared at Daniel. "Will remain by my side, until ordered otherwise."

All of Daniel's earlier bravado shrank as he realized he would be next to one of the most dangerous men in this world. A protest surged toward his lips, but it tripped on logic. How could he argue against the order? Even if he didn't recognize Wesker's authority, where else would he go? Fighting with Wesker now before Alpha Team realized who they were dealing with was more likely to turn them against Daniel, not against their captain. With a grimace, Daniel nodded before belatedly adding a "Yes, sir."

Joseph got off the radio as the helicopter across the field took to the air. "Message sent, sir."

Wesker nodded, only now taking his gaze off of Daniel. "Chris, take point. Alpha Team, wedge formation. Move out."

Moving with the smooth surety of veterans, Alpha Team shifted and began the march to the mansion. Barry and Joseph assumed their positions on Chris' flanks, while Jill finished the arrow as she fell in off Barry's left. Wesker took his natural place in the arrow's center, Daniel trudging right by his side.

Daniel didn't know if this was the safest he'd ever been or the most dangerous.

A soft hiss filled the air. Rebecca glanced up to see, not one, but four snakes drop from the trees above. "Watch out!" She cried as she scrambled backwards. She didn't make it very far before her back collided with the stone wall.

Richard reacted with the speed of a trained professional. He spun in place, saw the snakes land, and hopped back out of biting range.

Jessica was not nearly as lucky as them.

The three of them had left the residential building behind, overriding Jessica's wish to explore the newly zombie-depopulated bedroom. Nothing but strange noises accosted them as they made their way to the exit. They paused there long enough for Rebecca to grab an emergency blue herb.

The move appeared prophetic as one snake landed on top of Jessica's cowboy hat. "Not again!" Jessica snapped as she danced over snapping jaws toward Richard.

"Don't let them bite you!" Rebecca warned before firing her handgun. She wished she hadn't run out of shotgun shells last night.

Jessica grabbed at her hat, trying to dodge the fangs. "I didn' forget!"

Rebecca cursed how fast the snakes slithered along the ground. Two rounds bounced harmlessly next to their thin frames, but a third smashed a head into pieces. Richard's attention split. He fired one-handed against the grounded serpents, but the other half tried to help Jessica with her snake problem. The result was twice the effort with nothing gained.

"Richard!" Rebecca called out.

His head snapped toward her. Then his eyes locked on the snake rearing back. He threw up a boot as it lunged. Its fangs latched around the hard leather on the boot's underside. Richard repaid the attack by smashing its head against the ground.

Jessica managed to fling her hat and its new passenger to the side. She swung both of her handguns at the little beast and froze with a frown. The other remaining snake lunged at Rebecca, but she hopped out of the way. The snake smashed against the wall with enough force to stun itself. With a quick bullet, Rebecca killed it.

Richard aimed at the last snake, but Jessica hollered, "Wait for it to get off my hat!"

In turn, Richard threw her an incredulous look. "Get a new one."

An unexpected fire exploded out of Jessica's eyes. "There ain't another one like it," she growled with undisguised hostility. Richard blinked in surprise but didn't have long to consider the outburst. The snake, ever seeking its prey, slithered off the hat. Not a second passed before Jessica drilled it and the ground with a flurry of fire.

Pieces of snake flew off new holes. It didn't so much as flinch as it continued its charge toward the cowgirl. It reared back onto itself as it opened its maw as wide as it could. In that moment, a 9 mm round blew its head off.

Jessica grunted with satisfaction. She sauntered over and retrieved her cowboy hat. As she walked back, Richard glanced between her and the headpiece. "Why do you care that much about it?"

She paused and gave Richard a long look. "It was my paw paw's," she mumbled before she started down the path again.

Rebecca eyed her. The odd moment of vulnerability was unusual, and she wanted to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, something was grabbing her attention. "Hold it," Rebecca called out. Her eyes counted all of the spent shells. "I don't think we should fight these snakes, if we can help it."

Jessica spun around with a large frown on her face. "Oh, come on, what's the problem?"

Rebecca waved an arm before her. "We're going through too much ammo. If we keep this up, we'll be reduced to nothing when we run into something much nastier."

Richard nodded, half-surprised. "That's a good call, Rebecca. You're developing a good tactical eye."

Rebecca didn't bother to stop the smile spreading across her face as the compliment took. Jessica rolled her eyes as she started down the path again. "Fine. I'd rather kill more zombies than waste them on some stupid snakes."


	10. The Path Not Taken

The cawing grabbed Rebecca's attention.

Not a minute after their first encounter with the snakes, a second bunch had attacked. That time, however, there were only two of them. After a brief sprint, they had reached a gate and rushed through it. That seemed as far as the snakes were willing to go because they weren't to be found anymore. The three of them stood in a courtyard now. Her eyes briefly scanned before she heard the cawing.

Her eyes latched onto the small murder of crows dotted around the place. She sucked in a deep breath as her mind flashed back to the training facility.

Tiffany frowned as she glanced behind her. "No snakes, but those," she continued as she pointed at the crows, "Can fly."

Richard was confused for a moment before his brain caught up with the implications. "They're also infected?"

"Yeah," Rebecca said quietly.

"Git your shotgun out," Tiffany murmured before lifting both of her handguns. "We can get the first shot in, but I'm counting four of them."

"Five," Rebecca corrected as she glance at the stone wall to her right. Another one of the birds sat above the stone, staring right at them.

Tiffany steadied her aim. "I'm ready. Richard, got the shotgun?"

"Is it really necessary?" He glanced at Rebecca. "We're supposed to be saving ammo."

Rebecca nodded, her own handgun locked onto a third crow. "We are, but Tiffany is right." Her face scrunched up as she said those words. "They can be extremely dangerous, and they'll be really hard to hit once they start flying. We might end up wasting a lot of ammo if we **don't** use your shotgun."

Frowning yet satisfied, Richard holstered his handgun before pulling out his gleaming assault shotgun. He pumped it once and said, "Ready."

"On three," Tiffany declared. "One…two… three!"

The handguns popped, and crows squawked. Three of the murder fell dead as the last two took to the air. "They're yours, Richard!" Rebecca shouted as she shifted behind him.

Both of them flew straight at their little team. Not once did Richard twitch as he lined up his shot. The two crows screamed as they dive-bombed towards him. The shotgun boomed. Buckshot shredded the birds. Their remains twisted and fell from the air.

"Clear," Richard declared.

Rebecca released a small sigh of relief.

Tiffany also relaxed. "Well, that was easy."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at the subtle disappointment in Tiffany's voice. Now she took a good look at their surroundings.

In another time, this place might have been beautiful. A fountain filled the place with the lively tune of spraying water. Marble tiles lined the ground as their boots clacked against them. Crafted columns stood sentinel as they traced a path from the fountain to an open gate. Around the archway of the gate, two ponds quietly bubbled as a thin sheen of water slid past the gate into their small waters. Pottery and statues dotted the courtyard with echoes of dignity and the ancients.

Decay poisoned it all. Vines ran rampant over the walls and choked the columns. Moss and grass surrounded the individual tiles, laying siege to them. Dirt and grime blanketed all of it and ruined the splendor of both architecture and decoration. Two trees had once offered shade, but only their sharp corpses lingered.

Honestly, Rebecca was surprised to see the lone light worked at all.

"Where do y'all think that goes to?" Tiffany asked, drifting toward the gate.

Rebecca frowned as she glanced the opposite way. To where the mansion was. "The wrong direction.

Tiffany shot her a sour look. "We're gonna have to explore this sooner or later."

"Later," Richard calmly answered as he looked over the place. "When we're with the rest of the team. I see two elevators. One next to the gate, the other behind the fountain. Which one do we try first?"

Rebecca studied them from the courtyard's center. Both of them were more old-fashioned than she expected. The curved metal frame reminded her of a human-sized bird cage. A sorry looking bird cage as rust spots freckled the original bronze. Of the two, she admitted the one ahead of her looked the most inviting. Mostly because a strong lantern casted a warm glove over that one, while the second elevator hung in a dark corner.

"That one," Tiffany and Rebecca said simultaneously as they pointed at opposite elevators.

The two spared with frustrating glances before Richard stepped in. He pointed at Rebecca's elevator. "That looks like our direct route to the mansion. We'll go that way."

Whatever small triumph Rebecca may have felt over Tiffany abruptly vanished when they discovered the elevator was out of power.

"Well, ain't that just a darn shame," Tiffany said with a not-so-hidden smirk.

Richard didn't wait for Rebecca's retort as he marched back across the courtyard. "We need to keep moving."

Rebecca released a silent sigh before she followed in his wake, Tiffany a step ahead of her. They stopped outside the elevator and noted its small size. "We could probably fit two of us if we squeezed," Tiffany suggested, her eyes on Richard.

He frowned, his focus on the elevator. "Not a lot of room to react if anything attacks us while we're in it."

"We can just hit the down button if that happens."

Richard didn't look convinced as he turned his attention on his companions. "If we do that, I'll go first with Rebecca. This area is already secure, and we're trained for this."

Tiffany harrumphed. Rebecca waited for the typical argument, but it never came. "Might want to get your shotgun out. Just in case."

Richard nodded. "Good suggestion," he replied as he switched weapons.

A frown slid onto Rebecca's face as she glanced between the other two. _Why does she never give him a hard time? Is it because he's a guy?_ She tossed that theory out without another second of consideration. Although Tiffany had been more than willing to take direction from Richard and David the night before, it never seemed to be a gender issue. After all, Tiffany had refused any and all attempts to coddle her or any suspected coddling. Even now, she may have yielded to Richard's plan, but not out of any sense of lack of confidence.

Then was it experience? Was it because Rebecca wasn't a soldier like David or a veteran cop like Richard? This theory was more plausible. As much as she hate to admit it, Rebecca wasn't in the same category as Richard. David, though, she wasn't sure either. She realized she had never asked the soldier if he had been deployed before. In hindsight, he didn't seem like a grizzled veteran. So, maybe experience wasn't the full answer.

Then again, David's ability to know the future before it happened was a powerful substitute.

Yet, a third theory sauntered in. _Does Tiffany have a crush on Richard?_ Before Rebecca could think anymore on it, Richard was entering the elevator. She dutifully followed as she tried to subtly look at Tiffany.

The cowgirl's eyes were on Richard for a moment longer. Then she twisted around as her eyes swept the area.

This theory was going to need additional weighing. Although, Rebecca, despite how much she disliked Tiffany, hoped this theory didn't have any real bearing on the situation. She may never have met her, but Rebecca knew Richard had a girlfriend. She didn't know how serious it was. Yet, a man of Richard's integrity would never contemplate leaving her for another without good reason.

Metal creaked as the elevator ascended. The medic winced as the sound blared across the entire area. "No hope of stealth," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey," Richard said as he flashed her a soft smile. "It's going to be fine. Just watch my back, and I'll watch yours."

She couldn't stop herself from returning the smile. Richard always did have that way of making her feel better. The elevator came to a loud stop. She hid her grimace as she glanced behind them.

Richard stepped forward first, shotgun sweeping the area. She tried her best to be tactical. And failed as she glanced around. They were closer to the mansion, but not as much as she hoped they would be. The place was dominated by one piece of terrain that drew out the grimace she had been fighting. "Oh great."

* * *

Many unexpected things had happened to David in the past twenty-four hours.

Fighting a giant leech monster, becoming infected by a zombie virus, and being torn from his own dimensions was quite the combination. One would have thought after those three, nothing else could have surprised him.

Yet, here he was, facing a challenge he had never expected.

The temptation to commit murder.

Boots crunched through dirt, leaf, and twig as Alpha Team approached the mansion that started the famous survival horror series in David's own universe. He had done as he had been ordered. He marched side by side by a monster in human form. One that couldn't fall back on the excuse of a virus to explain away his evil.

It took more effort than David liked to admit to not glance at Wesker. In the span of thirty minutes, David had already provoked hostility between the two of them. That wasn't the reason he was thinking about murdering this man. It was what was going to happen that pushed at David's darker instincts.

So much pain. So much suffering. So much that could be avoided with a few quick bullets.

The method wasn't really part of the debate. Given his exhaustion, David's only viable choice was to shoot the STARS captain. Preferably a lot. To be sure.

No, the biggest practical implication he had to consider was what would happen to him after he shot Wesker. Would the other STARS members shoot him in return? Would they just tackle him and render him unconscious? Would they stop at demanding an explanation and hauling him back to the chopper?

Knowing the rest of STARS was composed of heroic people didn't offer a clear conclusion toward their reactions. Ideally, he would drop his rifle after the murder and surrender to their judgment, and they would be forced to take him to the mansion anyway since they were so close.

No guarantees either way. However, David was not unfamiliar with self-sacrifice as his injuries attested to.

No, the real barrier was the moral. David was not a judge. He had never shown interest in the legal field whatsoever. Therefore, he could not say in good conscience he had carte blanche to be Wesker's executioner.

Still, the utilitarian argument was deeply alluring. One life, maybe two, to save several thousand. Maybe more. As of Resident Evil 4, no one had managed to bring Wesker down. David knew Wesker was going to be in Resident Evil 5, but not what would happen to him. The game hadn't released yet, so he was stuck with rumors. Would Wesker's on-going body count stop there or continue onward to hit the millions?

Was a million enough to justify one murder?

Then there was the temporal element. As of right now, Wesker had only arranged one murder: Dr. Marcus. David supposed he could also add Edward and Kevin to that count and maybe Kenneth and Forest if Alpha Team arrived too late once again. Just keeping it to the two made the situation quite murky. David didn't know who had been the impetus to kill Marcus, and Marcus may very well have his own skeletons to undermine the utilitarian argument.

Edward and Kevin weren't killed by Wesker. At least not directly. In fact, since it was probably inevitable STARS was going to investigate the forest eventually, their deaths might have been unavoidable.

_That doesn't mean they had to die_ , a different part of David hissed vehemently against the voice of reason.

He twitched as the powerful emotions rolled over him again.

If he was being really honest to himself, a big reason he was considering murder was just how guilty and miserable he felt. The necessity of survival was forcing him to keep his emotional weakness contained, but it hungered for any kind of outlet.

Saving thousands of people from a sociopath could be considered healthy with the right perspective.

David twitched as he realized his thumb was playing with the safety switch.

He grimaced. _I'm losing this fight._

He did glance at Wesker this time. The blond officer swept his gaze back and forth as befitting a true professional. David glanced away before Wesker could turn in his direction.

He could feel his insides churning and tightening as he considered the decision again and again.

Then, it struck him. It was the baby Hitler question. Something broke inside him, and he sighed inwardly. He remembered how he had answered that question.

With deliberate choice, David pulled his thumb away from the safety.

He stepped around another tree and looked forward. The mansion's front doors were now in sight.


	11. The Dangers We Avoid

Rebecca stared at the dark liquid with more than a little trepidation.

“It’s just water,” Jessica pointed out.

Rebecca fought the urge to glare at her companion. “First, we don’t know if there’s anything in there. Second, it’s a major environmental hazard. If the T-virus is active in there, there’s no way Richard and I can avoid infection if we go in there.”

Said environmental hazard was a large pool of still water. Rebecca inwardly winced at the memories of the training facility and its underwater reservoir.

Richard frowned as he studied the place again. The water was dark. Too dark to see within its liquidy hold. The structure of the place suggested some kind of crosswalk should be available to the other side, but there was none to be found. He glanced again at the small dam next to them. It was obvious it could be either lowered or risen, but he didn’t see a control switch. His best guess was the small, marble pillar on the other side of the dam held the control mechanism, but it was pointed the wrong way for him to confirm it.

“So,” Jessica began, throwing a hand at the dam. “We can walk across that.”

“And if there are any leeches or _something_ in the water?” Rebecca countered, her apprehension on display.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “We can go over one at a time, keep watch over our backs.”

“Not much time for reaction,” Richard murmured as he frowned at the water. He didn’t share Rebecca’s fear, but his struggles over the prior night had not been as intense. Which meant he weighed Rebecca’s trepidation highly.

Jessica sighed in exasperation before she pointed away from the dam. “Okay, if we’re not going to take the fast way, then let’s just take the long way.” She shot Rebecca a sardonic look. “Unless you’re also terrified of trees?”

Rebecca followed Jessica’s finger. Next to the pool of water was a row of trees and the forest beyond. Wild shrubbery and greens waited to be a hassle, but not much more than that. Rebecca glanced at the tree’s higher branches, remembering how it rained snakes on them only a little while ago. She couldn’t see anything, yet that didn’t mean much. “We’ll have to be ready to move quick.”

“I don’ have trouble runnin’,” Jessica replied as she sauntered toward the end of the stone path.

Richard was a step behind, flashing Rebecca a confident smile. “It should be better than the dam.”

Rebecca nodded and followed after them.

\--

The mansion doors closed with a loud groan behind Alpha Team. None of the officers so much as twitched.

Daniel had watched the doors closed with a sense of finality. This, this room was where the Resident Evil series had been born. A rich, red carpet flowing from a grand staircase, symbol of both arrogant welcome and subtle foreboding. He had been through this room many times during his gaming.

Yet, he couldn’t shake a distinct pall of ignorance.

In theory, Rebecca, Enrico, and Jessica should have arrived hours ago. What progress had they made? What monsters had they already destroyed? He hadn’t expected them to greet Alpha Team as they had arrived, especially without the sound of gunfire to grab their attention. Without his knowledge, he doubted they had made it to the lab beneath the foundations of the mansion. That still didn’t tell him how far they had made it.

The news of Tim’s death slammed into him again from behind. It slid a dagger of ice into him as he considered another question: were they even alive? There was no law in this universe to dictate their survival. He had left them well-supplied with ammo, but that was no guarantee of success.

 _Stop it,_ he hissed to himself. _No point in killing them off without learning the truth of yourself._

He pushed the hole of misery away from his mind as half-heartedly followed Alpha Team in.

There was a moment of silence.

Then another.

Daniel grimaced. By this point, they should have heard Kenneth’s shot, signaling his death and signaling the game to begin. The fact they heard nothing but the tread of their own combat boots was not a good sign.

Or, maybe it was a good sign, he though with equal measures of anxiety and hope.

“We’ll split up in pairs,” Wesker announced as he concluded his own scan of the room, no doubt well familiar with the place’s oak and marble décor. “Chris, Jill, you’re partners. Joseph and Barry, and Sims will stay with me.”

Daniel fought off an instinctual flinch, but he could only slow the panic spreading in his chest. In the game, whoever remained with Wesker while the player’s chosen character went off to investigate the gunshot was the designated captive. It was a safe position for the captive was simply locked in a cell away from the rest of the danger. Somehow, Daniel doubted Wesker would take such a hands-off approach. A line had been crossed. Daniel didn’t know what Wesker would want to do with him, but that was a possibility best kept away at all costs.

 _Still no gunshot._ Daniel thought frantically. An idea popped into his head.

He whirled toward the western double doors. “Did you hear that?”

Alpha Team paused. Some of them straining their ears. Daniel could feel Wesker’s gaze burning into his gaze.

“I’m no-“ Jill started, but Daniel couldn’t let his chance slip by.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” he yelled before he started sprinting to the dining room. “Jessica! Rebecca!”

Shouts came from behind, but Daniel dared not slowed down. For once, he felt safer rushing to the zombies than away from them. He slammed himself through the oak double doors. He jumped when a flash filled the room. A terrifying second passed as his mind flew through possibilities. Only for the thunder to follow the lightning a second later.

In spite the momentary panic, Daniel didn’t stop. He could hear people running after him now. Two or three, but what predicament did that put him in? The dining table sped past his left, while the grandfather clock and the secret it contained ticked past his right. Near the corner of the room was the door he wanted.

Firelight threw dancing shadows over it before Daniel shoved his way. Still no gunshot; would he make it in time?

He left the door swinging open, breaking one of the cardinal rules of the video game the back of his mind noted. A light welcomed him into a hallway with dim strength. He shot left toward a shadowed room, his heart racing.

He past the corner and jerked himself to a stop.

The sound of bone and flesh filled the room.

Daniel sagged.

In front of him, one body crouched over another. As defeat gleefully punched into him, he glanced at his pursuers. Chris, Jill, and even Barry came rushing after him.

“Sims!” Chris started, frustration tightening his face. He didn’t continue as his eyes slid to the scene in front of Daniel.

The zombie left its current meal unfinished as it turned its head towards them. A milky eye locked onto Daniel. No fear touched the soldier who was had fought and killed many of its kind.

The Alpha Team was not as immune.

“What the hell!” Chris exclaimed.

“It’s some kind of monster,” Jill breathed.

Barry froze as his eyes went wide.

The zombie moaned as it rose to its feet. Daniel moved with casual ease as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. It would be a waste to use a rifle round for this foe. Instead, he drew out a handgun from a pocket. He flicked off the safety as he aimed, while the zombie raised its arms in desire.

Belatedly, Chris said, “Wait.”

Daniel squeezed the trigger. The bullet slammed against its side of the head.

Then Daniel flinched when it didn’t topple over. Every zombie in the Training Facility, no matter from what angle struck, had died from a headshot. This one, however, didn’t. When the bullet hit, its head snapped to the side. Then slowly it recovered as it marched forward.

 _Wait, what?!_ Daniel thought before the zombie lunched towards him.

A small explosion thundered. A chunk of the zombie’s head vanished. Its body crashed into Daniel who hurriedly shoved it away. A moment of silence passed as everyone absorbed what had happened. _What the heck?_ Daniel thought to himself. _What changed? I admit I wasn’t being that careful with my aim, but since when did their skulls do anything? I thought the T-Virus weakened their heads to the point that any shot will do it?_

This escalation did not put him at ease. Still, he looked to his right and saw a wisp of smoke flowing from the barrel of Barry’s magnum. Daniel nodded to him. “Thank you.”

Barry, who had been staring at the no-longer walking corpse, flinched when Daniel spoke. A second later, he returned the nod. “No problem,” he said absentmindedly. “What the hell is that thing?”

“You shot it in the head,” Jill said to Daniel. Her eyes flashed to the other corpse. “It killed Kenneth.”

Daniel’s morosely followed her gaze. Kenneth J. Sullivan, Bravo Team’s Recon Man, was in worse shape than he had been in the game. His throat wasn’t the only thing missing. The zombie had eaten his neck, his lower face, and parts of his chest. If Daniel had to guess, the zombie had been eating for twenty-to-thirty minutes instead of the few seconds it had had in the video game.

 _Just about the extra time it took for us to walk to here from the copter._ Without the zombie dogs to force Alpha Team into a dead sprint, Kenneth had died exactly as he had originally without any hope of rescue. In spite of Daniel’s best efforts, another member of Bravo Team had died as fate had decreed.

_Is there no fighting fate?_

“We need to report this to Wesker,” Jill stated. Her gaze flipped over to Daniel. “Are you hurt?”

Daniel shook his head. “No, it didn’t get a chance to.” He turned away from the corpse. Then his mind registered who was in the hallway with him. In the original game, the player had to choose between Chris or Jill as the main character. But both of them were here. Not only them, but Barry was here too. _What does that mean?_

Chris eyed both corpses with half-hidden apprehension. “Jill, is this what your contact said we’d be facing?”

To the surprise of everyone else, Jill hesitated, suddenly guilty. “I’ll explain on the way.”

As much as he didn’t want to go back to Wesker, Daniel was the first one to start walking. “Did Bruce not explain the situation?”

An additional surprise came upon the soldier as the others followed his lead. It was weird to see them deferring to him, even if it was unintentional. “He did explain everything,” Jill said as she fell into step with Chris. Barry brought up the rear. “Chris, Barry, I’m sorry, but I didn’t think you would have believed what he told me. I had trouble believing everything he said to me. Half of me was convinced he had hallucinated things, had ingested some narcotics, or anything that made sense besides… this.”

Barry grunted as he closed the hallway door behind them. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Until I saw the thing myself, I doubt I would have believed it.”

“I’m still having trouble believing what I saw,” Chris echoed.

“Happens to everyone,” Daniel called out from the front. A moan stopped the Alphas in their tracks. Daniel paused and threw a tired glance at the upper walkway above the dining rom. No steps followed the moan which meant the zombie didn’t realize how close it was to a meal if it dropped. “I don’t think we have to worry about that one yet. Let’s get back to the main hall.”


	12. The Hope We Cultivate

Wesker was not in the main hall. Daniel felt an immense weight lifted from his shoulders. He still wasn’t sure what kind of threat Wesker was to the blond teenager, but he did not want to take any chances.

“Wesker,” Chris called out as he scanned the room.

“Joseph!” Jill added.

Daniel blinked his green eyes. _Joseph is gone. Joseph is gone!_ For the first time since he had learned the horrible news of Tim’s death, a flicker sparked in his soul. If Wesker had taken Joseph prisoner, Joseph would be safe for the rest of the night. It wasn’t a guarantee of survival, but it was close to it.

A cynical inner voice attempted to douse the spark. _We thought Kevin was safe too, and he still died._ Daniel winced at the thought, but he couldn’t deny its cruel logic. This situation was better, but destiny had proven to be a stubborn opponent. At this moment, Daniel had yet to win a hard victory against it, while it had claimed three of his friends’ lives in payment for his intervention.

“Where did they go?” Chris asked, a sharp note of frustration in his voice.

Barry took one last scan of the area before grimacing. “Looks like we’ll have to find them too. Chris, I guess that leaves you in charge.”

Everyone turned toward Alpha Team’s Pointman. Daniel was especially curious as to what would happen next. Nothing like this had happened in the video game. Either Chris stood alone with some help from Wesker, or Jill took the lead with support from Barry. Looking over the three STARS members, a random through struck the soldier. _Have these three always been color coded_? Jill’s shoulder pads were blue, Chris’ vest was green, and Barry’s vest was a dull red. _The three colors of herbs._

To Daniel’s surprise, Chris’ intense blue eyes focused on him. “You knew what we were walking into.”

Daniel quirked an eyebrow, “Well-“

“That’s not a complaint,” Chris cut off, holding a hand up. “I mean you have a far stronger grasp on the situation than any of us. You could have taken the helicopter ride back, but you argued with the captain to come with us, despite knowing the danger. I admit, I wasn’t sure what to make of you when I first saw you. You knew about the mansion, and you knew about the… monsters. Do you have any advice for us, right now?”

 _Do I?_ True, Daniel possessed a wealth of information at his disposal. Yet, he couldn’t reveal everything he knew. Sure, Alpha Team was coming around to zombies and monsters. Time travel was a different subject. That applied from both angles. Not only would they probably distrust such a claim, Daniel believed he had a duty to protect how extensive his knowledge was of future events.

Even if he had completely botch that duty with Rebecca and Billy.

Daniel’s first instinct was, ironically, to follow through with Wesker’s plan. In theory, none of these three should die during the night, which meant splitting them up would maximize their progress. But Barry would soon become a temporary traitor. Daniel didn’t know when Wesker would get to him, but Daniel doubted he could entirely prevent that from happening. He just had to make sure he was in the right place to prevent Barry’s death.

So, whatever else happened, Daniel knew two things. One, he must never be by himself, ‘less Wesker catch him alone. Two, he couldn’t be alone with Barry.

His eyes flashed between Jill and Chris. Was Daniel supposed to pick between the two of them? Or maybe it was time to do the really smart thing?

“It’s going to get a lot worse,” Daniel explained, leaning back against one of the marble pillars. “The zombies are actually the least of our worries. We’re looking at a virus that can infect and been used to explicitly create a number of bioweapons.” He took a deep breath. “And they’re going to be all over this place. If it was anything like the Training Facility I went through with Rebecca, this place is going to double as a maze. We’re going to have to deal with a number of puzzles just to get around the place. All that said, my recommendation is we all stay together and move as a unit.”

Chris nodded as his gloved hands tightened on his Beretta’s handgrip. “Do you know where the rest of Bravo Team is?”

For once, Daniel’s all-too-expressive features didn’t betray what he knew. When the emotional reaction came, he smothered it with the darker emotions lingering within him. “Not really. I only fought with Rebecca, Edward, and Enrico. I know they were on their way here, but that’s all I can tell you.”

Chris mulled that one over. “So, we don’t know where they are, and, if they’re like Kenneth, they’re coming here as individuals.” A fearful grimace spread over his features. “Where they can easily be overwhelmed.”

“Any tips for fighting the monsters?” Jill interjected.

Daniel tapped a finger against his head. “Headshots are usually the answer.” He frowned and glanced back toward the dining room. “Although, you might have to aim directly between the eyes to make it count. Besides that, everything will eventually die with enough bullets.” He tossed a glance at the huge combat knife on Chris’ shoulder. “Or stab wounds. Finally, close doors you go through. Helps keep numbers manageable.”

“Alright, in that case, I think we’ll go with Wesker’s plan. Split up in pairs to cover ground faster. I won’t deny your evidence to stay together might be better, but I can’t stand the idea of leaving our comrades exposed by themselves,” Chris declared.

Daniel shrugged his nonchalance.

“We should start on the first floor,” Barry added, his balding head turning from side to side.

“Agreed.” Chris pointed a finger at Daniel. “Private Sims, you’re with me. We’ll head back through the dining room and recon that way. Jill, Barry, opposite direction,” he finished as he nodded to the opposing double doors. He took a moment to study the time on his watch. “Whatever happens, we’ll reconvene back here in two hours and go from there.”

\--

“I count three of them.”

Thunder cracked above them, but the rain had yet to arrive. Rebecca was thankful for that small mercy as she peered through the iron gate. The dark pool laid behind them. They had safely circumvented it without incident, which had brought them to their current obstacle. The gate wasn’t locked thankfully. No, the obstacle was what awaited past the gate and down a short stairway.

The elegant fountain did not bless the courtyard with flowing water and had long been overrun by grime and plant life. Pacing above the fountain center and below the vine-covered gazebo were three zombie dogs. Whether by sight or smell, none of them had detected the humans staring into the courtyard.

Jessica hefted her submachine gun with a grin. “Goin’ need this baby for this job.”

Richard’s gaze lingered on the zombie dogs for a moment longer, forcing himself to adapt to this new monster, before his eyes slid toward the confident cowgirl. “Is that necessary?”

With a grimace, Rebecca nodded. “We can’t simply run around them; they’re faster.”

“And, no offense, but the odds of us nailin’ their heads from this range before they start chargin’ aren’t in our favor,” Jessica added, his brown eyes alight.

“Do you have a full clip in there?” Rebecca prodded.

With awkward movements, Jessica pulled the clip out and looked over it. “This one’s pretty empty, actually. I’ll just switch it with a full one.”

“I can take care of them,” Richard started as he switched from handgun to his assault shotgun.

“Uh-uh,” Jessica countered as she pulled a clip out from a back pocket. “Unless you’re carryin’ a lot more ammo than I think, this one’s mine ‘cause I’ve got eight full clips to burn through. How much ya got?”

“Nine shells.”

Jessica patted Richard’s shoulder. “Tell ya what. Ya can follow me in and watch my back, while I clean house. How’s that sound?”

Richard accepted the pat and suggestion with a nod. “The moment I think you’re in too much danger, I want you to fall back to here. Rebecca, we’ll be counting on you to control the gate.”

Rebecca nodded before holstering her handgun. Her hands locked on one half of the gate. “Ready.”

Richard cast one last solemn look at Jessica. “I’m not satisfied with this arrangement, but I’m willing to give you a chance on this. On your mark, we go in.”

A huge grin spread out over Jessica’s face.

“Don’t go crazy with it,” Rebecca warned. “You have ammo right now, but we might need it later. You know how… big the bioweapons can get.”

“Just had to rain on my parade,” Jessica grumbled as she took up her position next to the gate. “Fine, I won’t go crazy. Anything else you goin’ whine about?”

Rebecca rolled her eyes but shook her head.

“A’ight. On three. One. Two. Three!”

In one smooth motion, Rebecca undid the lock and threw half of the gate open. Jessica advanced in as she picked her first target. The zombie dogs had jerked their heads to the new sound. The closest one didn’t get a chance to do anything else as a hail of gunfire tore into its side. The bullets may have been a smaller caliber than others, but a dozen of them was enough to send the z-dog crashing to the ground in blood and gore.

The other two snarled and sprinted to the stone landing which gave Jessica and Richard the high ground. The second one rounded to the stairs and made it no further. Jessica was more than happy to hose it down with lead.

The third z-dog charged from the opposite direction. It leapt up the stairs straight toward Jessica’s back. Another smaller thunder roared against it. It was thrown back in a wave of buckshot. It rolled down a couple of steps before coming to a halt at the bottom. It growled as it struggled to its feet.

Jessica didn’t give it the chance as she ended its undead existence. 

“Thanks,” she told Richard as Rebecca stepped through the gate.

Richard scanned the bodies one more time. He turned to Jessica. “You handled yourself well.”

“I told ya before. Professional Monster Slayer.”

For the first time, Richard cracked a smile. “You did. Now, let’s get back to meeting up with the rest of Bravo Team.” He turned to the medic. “Rebecca, thank you for having both of our backs.”

Rebecca now had her own small as she replied, “No problem, Richard.”

Jessica was already climbing down the stairs as she pulled out the magazine. “I suppose I should combine this one with the mostly empty one.”

“It’d be smart,” Richard agreed as the two Bravos started walking. “How about you stay behind us for a moment as you take care of that?”

Jessica threw him a flat look before slinging her submachine gun. “I just took out those dogs, and ya still keep tryin’ to keep me out of danger.”

“Part of the job,” Richard answered without rancor. “Also, you can’t fight and fix the clips at the same time.”

Despite some vaguely dark mutterings, Jessica allowed the two of them to pass her as she started to shift bullets from one magazine to the other. “One of these days, ya’re gonna find out that I’m not some simple civilian in need of a knight.”

Rebecca couldn’t help but mentally agree. The truth that Richard hadn’t suspected was far stranger. She grabbed a couple of herbs as they crossed the courtyard. The mansion steadily came closer into view. They were almost there.

“Maybe,” Richard allowed as he switched weapons again. “For now, let’s just make it through tonight.”

A little ways past the gazebo, the trio came to a pair of weathered, wooden doors. “Just a glance,” Richard said to Rebecca. Again, she nodded her understanding as she took her place with hands on one of the handles.


	13. Reorienting to New Danger

As the dining rooms closed, Jill spared them a long glance before turning away. Barry was watching her, one hand idly scratching the scruff on his chin. It was a nervous tic Jill had memorized not long after she started serving with the man. She couldn't blame him, but a part of her was amused and comforted by the concern in his gaze.

"You going to be okay, Jill?" His eyes flashed toward where Kenneth's corpse was. "A lot has happened in the last ten minutes. I don't even know where to begin with Wesker's and Joseph's disappearance."

She laid a hand on Barry's arm as she smiled at him. "Thanks, Barry. I'm holding together for now."

That was mostly true. For better or for worse, Bruce's warning had given her a little more preparation than she had given to the rest of the team. She felt guilty for that, but her earlier reservations remained. Who would believe a story about zombies after being inundated with B Horror movies from Hollywood?

But they were here in a mansion with zombies. It would've been ridiculous were it not for Kenneth's grisly death and Daniel's dire warnings. The grief of a lost comrade was hovering at the edge of her perception. For now, professionalism shielded her as the mission took precedent over her feelings. She expected that.

She was more confused about what to make of Daniel. She had large reservations about not pushing him to return to Raccoon City. The wiry teenager was wounded, even if he could walk around. That didn't even touch on his emotional state which raised all kinds of red flags with her. She was surprised by how easily Captain Wesker had relented. She doubted Chris' advice had done much to sway him. So, why had the STARS captain allowed himself to be persuaded?

Speaking of which, where was he and Joseph? They had chased after Daniel on his orders, explicitly ordering Joseph to stay with him to secure the main hall. After only six minutes, both of them vanish without a trace? No gunfire, so nothing had ambushed the pair of them. What could have happened to draw them away from this position?

Too many mysteries, too little intel.

"Oh, before I forget," Barry said as he reached into one vest pocket. He pulled out a small item and held it out to her. "I meant to give this to you earlier, but it sort of slipped my mind."

Jill smiled as she took the lock pick. "Thanks, we may need it."

Barry nodded as he hefted his magnum. "Let's see what we're up against."

* * *

Chris hadn't felt this lost in his life since the immediate aftermath of leaving the Air Force. Ever since he had joined STARS back in '96, he had experienced nothing but purpose and satisfaction as he had worked hard to protect the people of Raccoon City. No matter how bad the investigation may have become, he could count on his skills and the rest of STARS to see it through.

That foundational strength of focus had taken a beating. This was not to say he was giving up. Oh no. He was more determined than ever to see this night through, come what may. No, what was eating at him were the questions. Wesker, the man he looked up to, had been anything but himself in the last twenty-four hours. From his strange absence when the first warning had come to his secret knowledge of this very mansion's existence. Chris didn't know how to explain it. What had happened a day ago to cause such odd behavior? The fact he couldn't answer the question disturbed him.

That was the first blow.

Then, there was Bravo Team. There were some great members on it, but Chris couldn't lie to himself about his biases. Among Bravo Team, two of them stood out: Forest Speyer and Rebecca Chambers. Rebecca was brand new and inexperienced. To think she might be in the middle of this biohazard disaster triggered his big-brother instincts in a strength he had not had to deal with since his sister had gone off to college. Forest was one of his best friends. He, Chris, and Joe had racked up a considerable number of drunken escapades off-duty. They were a power trio that transcended the team division. Instead of being among his comrades, Forest could be wandering around here, alone and outnumbered by odds he couldn't comprehend.

That was the second blow.

Now this latest twist in the night. Both Wesker and Joe had disappeared with no hint of their location? Chris refused to believe anything could have killed the two of them in less than five minutes. Yet, if that was the case, then what the hell had happened? Why wasn't anything happening this night making sense?

He glanced down at the scrawny soldier next to him. Somehow, this teenager had survived one night of combat and had insisted upon returning for another serving. In any other situation, Chris would have found that admirable and inspiring. No such positive feelings emerged as he subtly studied the younger man.

Because something seemed off to him. It was something about how Sims carried himself. Chris didn't know how to describe it. It was that feeling, that instinct, honed by months of police activity and sniffing things out. Two years may not have been a long enough time to hone it to a razor's edge, but it was strong enough to warn Chris that not all was what it seemed with this bespectacled young man.

The strongest point supporting his instincts was Sims confrontation with Wesker. How had he known that Wesker had known about the mansion? Chris had never seen Sims in his life and could almost guarantee neither had Wesker. Yet, the sheer conviction with which Sims had thrown his accusation. It had been genuine.

Why?

The pair of them walked toward the fireplace. This time, Chris' eyes could take in the place instead of trying to keep up with the sprinting soldier. He had never been able to tell the difference between elegance and gaudiness.

Expensive-looking decorations, or excellent fakes, demonstrated opulence all around him. A grimy vase which might have been a relic displayed itself on the other side of the dining room table. A renaissance painting hung next to the grandfather clock, pronouncing its worth or lying about its deceit. There was even an actual coat of arms above the fireplace. It was positioned below a pair of swords. For the first time in his life, Chris looked at them as potential weapons. As they neared, he frowned as he noted how dull their edges were.

He caught Sims glancing at the fireplace than at the table. "What is it?"

The soldier met Chris' eyes for a moment before shrugging. "Just wondering who lit the candles and the fireplace."

 _Random thing to wonder about. …but he has a point. Whoever did that would have had to waste precious time in a mansion filled with monsters._ Chris grunted and said, "I want you to tell me everything you know."

Sims kept his gaze forward as they reached the door. "Everything? That's a lot. You want to give me a starting point? Also, you going first or me?"

"I'll take point," Chris insisted as he raised his handgun toward the door. When Sims put his hand on the handle, Chris continued, "On three. One, two, three!"

Sims yanked the door open as Chris marched forward. He turned left in the hallway. A moment later, Sims advanced behind him a step in the opposite direction. _He does know clearing protocols._ "Clear," Chris said.

"Clear," Sims answered before shutting the door behind them.

"Let's start with how you became involved," Chris began as he led the way. "Raccoon Forest is-"

His voice died as he heard a moan ahead of them. Chris edged around the hallway's corner… and froze.

Kenneth's corpse wasn't sprawled out over the carpet. It was standing upright. It held itself hunched over as faced away from Chris and Sims. Chris had seen the zombie movies. He, Joe, and Forest had watched a couple together as they had downed a few beers they had snuck in. They had laughed at characters who's will had cranked to a halt at the sight of an undead loved one. Who would so obviously freeze in such a dangerous situation the guys told each other.

Chris knew better now.

Oh, how he knew.

"I can take care of him," Sims whispered behind him. There was compassion and weariness tied in a knot in that voice.

After a moment, Chris shook his head before saying aloud, "No, he's one of mine. I'll do it."

At the sound of Chris' voice, Kenneth's body jerked around. The barest sinews held its jaws together, but that didn't deter it as it ambled toward them. Chris raised his Beretta.

"Between the eyes," Sims suggested.

Chris nodded and lined up his shot. Kenneth's body took a third shambling step before Chris squeezed the trigger. A nine-millimeter is not a powerful caliber. It can get the job done in a pinch, but it's not really meant to do a lot of damage. To Chris' shock, the back of Kenneth's head exploded out with the bullet. The corpse managed one more step before falling to the floor.

Chris released a deep breath before he gestured at Sims. "Let's keep moving."

"We should take whatever ammo he had." Chris flinched at the brutal practically at the suggestion before glancing at Sims. The young blond looked apologetic but said, "We might need the bullets."

Chris said nothing before he knelt down next to the corpse of his comrade. STARS was not supposed to be a combat unit. It was a police unit, first and foremost. Yet, it was a police unit that had to be ready for a variety of high-intense situations. As such, each officer carried his weapon and a spare clip. In some situations, they could be expected to carry up to three spares, but this cult investigation was supposed to be a recon mission.

Oh, how much had changed in 48 hours.

Chris secured both magazines. "Do you need a clip?"

"I could use a clip. I only have one spare."

"Here," Chris said as he handed over Kenneth's spare. "I've got a spare already."

Sims took it as Chris slowly rose. "Do you need a moment?"

"No. What I need to do is to make sure this doesn't happen to any other member of STARS." He paused. "Or to your friend." Chris started walking to the door Kenneth's corpse had been looking towards. "Your friend is a civilian, right?"

"Not much of one," Sims answered sardonically.

"You still haven't answered why you or your friends were in the forest. Your friend at the hospital didn't give much of an answer either." They reached the door almost hidden in an alcove. Chris nodded to Sims, and they took the same positions. "Three."

Moonlight streamed as Chris rushed inward. This hallway went in only one direction and was a simple matter of following it. "Well?"

Sims was right behind him as the followed the hallway's hard turn to the right. "We were supposed to be headed to a Family Day picnic. We tried to take a shortcut and got lost in the forest. We ran out of gas, try to hoof it, and ran into Kevin."

They reached the end of the hallway. Light held strong here as it bathed a stairwell heading up to the second floor. A birdcage held a dead raven, and Chris could honestly say it wasn't the worst thing he had smelled. Sims himself smelled awful. It wasn't just B.O. either, and Chris could swear he smelled somewhat of sewage. It was annoying, but Chris wasn't going to hold that against the soldier.

That story, though, that was bullshit.

Chris turned to Sims. Then he paused. This was the first time he had a good look at Sims' uniform. And it wasn't right.

"Those aren't BDUs…"


End file.
